


The Carmina Abyssi Logs

by spasticjazzhands



Series: Stories from the Deep [1]
Category: Original Work
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:28:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 18
Words: 48,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26129545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spasticjazzhands/pseuds/spasticjazzhands
Summary: The Carmina Abyssi are a small band of sirens that pride in their high record of sailor deaths in their waters. While they click and gesture to understand each other, their haunting music is irresistible to anyone within earshot. Sirens are rarely born but rather created. As a sailor is slowly losing consciousness underneath the waves, the siren has an option to try to turn them into a siren themselves. The success rate varies as it seems to be easier to turn younger humans with older sirens. If the siren fails to turn their victim, the victim painfully dissolves until they are just a pile of teeth.After Kanikau's entire pod has been killed in a battle for territory, she seeks to gain more podmates to avenge what she has lost.
Series: Stories from the Deep [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1897345
Comments: 1
Kudos: 2





	1. IN THE BEGINNING

**Author's Note:**

> \- no warnings -
> 
> TERMS  
> Carmina Abyssi | songs of the deep  
> lua wai | water cave  
> moku hau’oli | happy ship  
> māhū pō | night vision  
> ʻenlelo maʻalahi | siren language
> 
> NAMES  
> Kanikau | lament

###  **KE KINOHI**

## " IN THE BEGINNING "

Kanikau lazily drifted in the open ocean allowing her hair to float freely. Her home was now an underwater cave, _lua wai,_ underneath a bright coral, but this was surprisingly a downgrade. Kanikau’s thoughts once again focused on moku hau’oli, her happy ship that was lost. No, not lost…taken by one that she had one trusted. A small school of fish was startled by her sudden grunt. She propelled towards them not intending on catching any but chasing them nonetheless. Soon the fauna would know better than to stay in the immediate radius of her new home, otherwise she would grow lazy catching such easy meals. Instead, she swam closer to the surface, closing her eyes as the water grew warmer with each stroke and sunlight shining stronger on her eyelids. She raised one webbed hand, talons glinting in the water, and it broke the surface of the calm waters. The rest of her torso hesitated before following her hand. Immediately her thick, curly hair weighed down her head. Kanikau dunked her head back into the water long enough to wrangle most of her hair into a manageable grasp and rose once more.  
The waters were deserted which was rare for such a nice summer day. She was sure boats would soon flock to the coral reef once more bringing divers, both experienced and novice right to her grasp. She swam to a cluster of rocks and pushed herself up onto the flattest one. Her gills uncomfortably flapped against her neck as they struggled to breathe in the above-world air without the need to filter the oxygen through saltwater. While breathing above-world air wasn’t preferred for any siren, it was possible for a short amount of time. Kanikau could now be out of the water for around five minutes continuously with the fifth minute bringing a rush of lightheadedness. It was just enough time for her navy hair and flowy slip to start to dry in the sun. She frowned and kicked at the level surface of the water. She was in the shallows, but she was used to the deeper ocean and its rough tendencies. But soon enough, the surface was calm, and she was able to see her reflection.  
Kanikau hadn’t had a chance to properly assess her appearance since she was driven out of moku hau’oli and its many fractured mirrors. There were going to be a lot of things she would miss from her sunken ship, many long-lost human artifacts. Her face had another layer of coldness to it, accentuated by a new scar cutting across her dark skin from her left corner of her mouth to her cheek. Her cheeks were sunken in leaving her cheekbones and bright amber eyes very pronounced. She touched her fingertips to her face. She would have to stock up on food before winter came and chilled the waters. Her fingers traced the scar’s path, then down her neck to rest on her _māhū pō._ Well, she wasn’t sure what the technical term was, but _māhū pō_ was what she had christened it. Her _māhū pō_ was also the same bright amber as her eyes and it resembled a glowing stone wedged at the center of the base of her neck. Her _māhū pō_ helped her see in dark waters as her eyes were still remarkably human. Speaking of darkness, shadows were starting to crop up at the edges of her vision, and Kanikau looked up at the sky. No clouds, but, oh!, breathing was starting to become more difficult. Her five minutes were up, and Kanikau lowered herself back into the water.  
Water…her territory and her curse. She was only two when she was turned herself by a siren that left her abandoned in the vast expanse of open waters. Luckily, Mateus and her… _no, don’t think about him!_ She chastised herself. What she was sulking about was never remembering any of her time as a human in the above-world. Because honestly, how far was she going to get with her legs fused together and her air endurance of five minutes? The only connection she ever truly felt to the land was exploring every abandoned room of _moku hau’oli_ and imagining how every trinket was used. But now she couldn’t even have that! Kanikau clicked angrily to herself. _Oh_ , _Anima Rapientem_ was going to pay, she vowed, _they'll regret ever crossing me!_  
A noisy motor interrupted her small tantrum occurring underneath the waters, and she spun to see a tourist boat chopping up the water. A mischievous grin spread across Kanikau’s face allowing her sharp teeth to glint. She couldn’t take on Sereia alone and how could she resist such easy prey to turn?


	2. HOW TO TURN HUMANS

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kanikau creates a new podmate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- no warnings -
> 
> TERMS  
> Carmina Abyssi | songs of the deep  
> lua wai | water cave  
> moku hau’oli | happy ship  
> māhū pō | night vision  
> ʻenlelo maʻalahi | siren language
> 
> NAMES  
> Kanikau | lament  
> Hilahila | confusion

###  **PEHEA E HULI AI I KANAKA**

## " HOW TO TURN HUMANS "

Kanikau twisted towards the surface. She could swim quite fast, faster than humans even ones with diving gear at least, but her fused legs could never beat any of Sereia. Naturally born sirens (or merfolk: the two were essentially interchangeable in theory) had every advantage when it came to living in the sea; they were of course originally from the sea with better fins and actual tails. And humans (or other land dwellers for that matter) were obviously well-suited to their land environment with lungs that dealt with the whole breathing thing and were usually at least bipedal. Created or turned sirens, like Kanikau herself, were born in the above-world adapted for land but cursed into the sea forced to limp along under the waves. They were banished from their human life but not completely welcome in the sea either. _What a life to live_ , Kanikau thought bitterly, _introduced and rejected from both aspects_. This was why most sirens lived with deep rooted anger: anger at the hand life had dealt and at the very beings who dragged them into their fate. It was hypocritical, Kanikau had to admit. Sirens spent their existence hating being a siren but wouldn’t hesitate at any opportunity to turn another. Was it nihilistic? Childish? Selfish? If _I_ can’t live how I want, _you_ can’t either? Regardless of what motive Kanikau was fulfilling, her turning humans was necessary for what she wanted to accomplish: make Sereia pay. And to do that, she needed a pod much larger than just herself.  
  
She neared the surface but held herself back. While she would love to turn this entire diving group at once, that was very impractical and would most likely result in a dive knife straight in her ribs. Instead she waited for someone to become a little braver, someone to drift a little further available to be dragged several meters per second away from any possible rescue. Sure enough, a short diver was flirting with the idea of a little more coral reef exploration. Her hands clumsily ran across a stretch of coral which Kanikau assumed that was something she was instructed _not_ to do unless they wanted the reef to die. With a glance at her group focusing on a stray eel, the diver drifted towards a large patch of seagrass and that was all Kanikau needed. In a flash of legs, diving tubes, and webbed fingers, the girl was plummeting down to the sea depths in Kanikau’s clutches.  
  
The girl struggled less and less as the quick descent disoriented her into a daze, and Kanikau slowed still wanting to turn this girl in waters where the sun still could reach. Confused dark eyes met Kanikau’s vivid yellow ones behind her diving mask. Carefully, Kanikau slid the mask off with little protest from the diver. She gently nipped at the base of her neck where her own _māhū pō_ would rest and let her claws trace the sides of her neck where her gills would hopefully develop. Small trails of blood drifted to the surface dancing with the different currents, but unfortunately for the diver, they would be undetectable at the surface. No one would come close to correctly guessing her fate. Kanikau reached behind her and broke off a chunk of rock from one of the drop off cliffs. It was a bit bigger than she needed it to be and she frantically kept smashing it against the cliff until the chunk was no bigger than her balled fist. Next time she would have to come more prepared if she wanted to raise the success rate of a complete turn.  
  
 _Step one, Kanikau hummed to herself, have a māhū pō on hand before you pick out your next subject._ She rambled on in her mind, thinking about how she would explain the turning process to another siren. After all, she couldn’t be the only one recruiting potential pod mates. _Step two, cut your subject off from their pack. Make sure they’re docile and alone. Step three, bite their throat and make rudimentary cuts estimating where their gills will be._ She carefully placed the rock against the bite mark on the diver’s neck. _Step four, place the potential māhū pō against the bite. If you’re lucky, it’ll stick and be fused to their skin. It’ll start to glow sometime in the next twenty-four hours and could even start right away. The gills will develop much faster as they are now the sole body part to take in oxygen. Step five, if all goes well, lay the new siren in a quiet resting place. The process of growing enough scar tissue to fuse legs and create better webbed limbs is painful and exhausting. Step six, or rather five b, if the turning fails, dinner comes early.  
_

* * *

Kanikau laid the turning siren in one of the underwater cave alcoves. She had wrestled most of the unnecessary diving equipment off of her and propped it up in a dark corner. She fiddled with the knobs and tubes for a bit looking closely at different scribbles on the equipment. She had no idea what they meant but maybe the girl could tell her whenever she woke up. Kanikau decided to explore in the meantime and gather some food for the both of them. She swam out of the caves and made her way out into the open ocean. After chasing down a cod and a tuna, Kanikau slowly drug them back to the caves. Her arms were tired by the time she stuffed the fish into the food storage alcove. She doubted the girl was ready to speak so she lazily let herself drift down following the drop off cliff further down into the sea depths.  
  
She was about to start ascending since even though her _māhū pō_ helped her see in the deeper waters, she still preferred to stick to levels where sunlight still filtered down, but an object too perfectly shaped to be natural caught her eye. Inspecting it closer, it was rectangular and had a slightly softer, lighter texture than the rock it was resting on. She grabbed it before it could tumble off and fall down closer to the ocean floor. She opened it and there were many more white rectangles attached to the object, but she couldn’t make out any more details in this low of light.  
  


* * *

Kanikau spent more time in the depths than she thought she had as the waters did not lighten even as she swam closer to the surface though that might be for the best as her waters would be quickly filled rescue divers looking for any sign of the lost diver. Unfortunately for them, the girl would never be found by them again. Thinking of her, Kanikau entered the alcove where she was still resting. Surprisingly, the girl was stirring and startled as soon as she spotted Kanikau’s silhouette. She opened her mouth to call for help but found with her new respiratory system and abundance of water filling her mouth she couldn’t speak like a human. Her newly webbed hands panickily waved around her as she flailed gaining her bearings of her surroundings. Kanikau raised her own hands in what she hoped would come across as a calming gesture. “Settle,” She clicked, but she spoke in siren language, what Kanikau called _ʻenlelo maʻalahi_ , and the girl didn’t understand. Quickly she offered the strange object she had discovered to distract her before she cut herself on the cave walls. This thankfully seemed to calm her a bit and she too opened the object but was still getting used to using her _māhū pō_ instead of her eyes to see in the darkness. That was something she would have to figure out on her own whether she understood ʻ _enlelo maʻalahi_ or not; Kanikau couldn’t explain how it worked but a subconscious switch almost had to be activated to start adjusting to extreme low light levels. The most she could explain would just be “practice”, but the girl was in no state to understand.  
  
Perhaps a bite to eat would deescalate the situation but the fish Kanikau caught today wouldn’t be fit right now. Eating raw fish with claws and fangs would also take an adjusting period so Kanikau quickly returned with a small apple she had found floating near the surface earlier on and offered it. The girl shook her head violently not wanting to trust anything her captor offered. Kanikau took a bite showing it wasn’t poisoned and offered it again and this time the girl, shaking like a leaf, took it though it was a good few minutes before she bit into it. “Apple,” Kanikau clicked slowly and pointed to it. The girl offered the apple back confused at what the siren meant. Kanikau shook her head and came closer. She grasped her hand still holding the apple and wiggled it. “Apple.” The girl caught on and struggled to try and form the word. Eventually she did emit a sound sounding like a warbly “apple.” They’d have to work on that.  
  


* * *

A week had passed since Kanikau turned the girl and she was slowly learning how to communicate properly in _ʻenlelo maʻalahi._ She now knew “apple”, “tuna”, “cod”, “kelp”, “orange”, “rock”, “water”, “yes”, and “no” reliably. She also was very keen to see what the mysterious rectangle was but Kanikau always pushed her away. She wanted to fully inspect it first before the girl had the chance to since Kanikau was the one in charge. Thinking of “the girl”, Kanikau couldn’t exactly keep calling her that although it was usually mostly in her mind. If she wanted to get her attention, she would just send a current over to knock her slightly sideways which is what she did now. The girl turned from braiding seagrass to look at her. Kanikau beckoned, “Come.”  
  
“Come.” She repeated the new word to herself a few times trying to commit it to memory. “Come.”  
  
“ _Come_ now.” Kanikau rolled her eyes. It was great that she was starting to get the hang of it, but she needed to learn to multitask.  
  
“Oh! Yes!” The girl swam over. “Yes?”  
  
Kanikau pointed to her, “You are Hilahila. _Hilahila_.”  
  
“Hilahila?” She tilted her head.  
  
“I am Kanikau,” Kanikau pointed at her own chest. “Kanikau.” Now she pointed back at her. “Hilahila.”  
  
“I. Am. Hilahila.” She formed the words slowly. “Hilahila.”  
  
“Yes!” Kanikau nodded enthusiastically. “Hilahila!” She was glad she didn’t have to tell her that her new name meant “confusion”, but it seemed to be rather fitting for the girl. At this point, she would rather take on the entire pod of Sereia than teach another turned siren how to speak _ʻenlelo maʻalahi._  
  


* * *

A little over ten months had passed since Hilahila was first turned into a siren, and Kanikau was already regretting teaching her how to communicate. While she still wasn’t _great_ at talking, she had improved drastically and started using her new knowledge to ask Kanikau questions she didn’t want to answer. Most sirens experience an amnesia block for quite a while not allowing them to access any human memories for years and would only get flashbacks after experiencing some sort of event that triggers one. Some never even fully regain their past and are stuck wondering what the above-world was like to live in. “Where was I before here?” Hilahila would badger her. “I only remember _lua wai_.”  
  
“Wandering,” Kanikau would say which wasn’t a complete lie, “exploring.”  
  
“Why don’t I remember?” Hilahila would screw up her eyes but no memories were there yet.  
  
“You didn’t have a _māhū pō_ yet,” Kanikau just wasn’t telling her the entire truth. The entire truth would be _I gave you one because you didn’t need one before. I ripped you from exploring with your own species. But, which one of our needs should come first? My need for podmates or your need to stay human?_


	3. TREVOR TRAVERSED THE SEVEN SEAS

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hilahila discovers an old journal and eventually the original owner. Also a hippocampus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- language -  
> \- cannibalism mentions -
> 
> TERMS  
> Carmina Abyssi | songs of the deep  
> Anima Rapientem | soul snatchers  
> lua wai | water cave  
> moku hau’oli | happy ship  
> māhū pō | night vision  
> ʻenlelo maʻalahi | siren language  
> ʻakaʻaka | fuck  
> moe ʻino ʻoe iā ʻoe | damn you to hell  
> kāʻoki ʻia | dipshit
> 
> NAMES  
> Kanikau | lament  
> Hilahila | confusion  
> Nani | beaut  
> Ōpala | garbage

## I HELE AI 'O TREVOR I NĀ MOANA 'EHIKU

### " TREVOR TRAVERSED THE SEVEN SEAS "

Hilahila still may not be the best at holding a casual conversation underwater, but she was gifted by swearing so creatively that even Kanikau couldn’t keep up. The mackerel Hilahila was hunting was currently receiving this brash treatment as it kept darting through small holes in the rocky shallows. “ _ʻAkaʻaka_!” She exclaimed. “ _Moe ʻino ʻoe iā ʻoe,_ when I catch you, I will rip your head off!” She clicked angrily. Before it swam out into the open ocean, Hilahila (accidently) body slammed it against the stone and crushed it. She held the limp body as she rubbed the small scrape she received from her overeager catch.

She settled down on the sandy floor and looked to the surface. The sun was shining bright and looking up was almost painful. Hilahila didn’t remember anything before meeting Kanikau, but a feeling in her gut told her she didn’t belong down below. The gentle waves distorting the sunrays beckoned her to breach and explore what was beyond, what Kanikau called the above-world. Leaving the mackerel on the shallow’s sand, she hesitantly paddled closer and let the sun slowly warm up her skin. She stayed beneath the surface just staring at the barrier, unsure what would happen if she would break it. Surely nothing would happen, right? It wasn’t as if the air above would be poisonous to the touch; their gills filtered out oxygen to breathe anyway, why would that air be any different? “Just filter out the oxygen from up here,” She muttered to herself and lifted herself above the waves. They lapped gently at her neck as she struggled with taming her wet hair that weighed her down. Hilahila soon discovered that filtering oxygen out of above-world air wasn’t as easy as she hoped it would be; her gills sputtered and spat without the flow of water to push through her filter. She fruitlessly waved her webbed hands towards her gills hoping to help but she sank back into the water defeated and out of breath.

Hilahila debated whether it was worth vigorously waving air to her neck again or if she would eventually end up passing out from foolishness but was distracted by what sounded like…pawing? She was hesitant to look around, scared for the first time under the waves. She had previously made a point to stick near the cliffs or in the shallows as she wasn’t as adventurous as Kanikau just drifting above deep caverns yet. There couldn’t be anything too big or dangerous up by the shores, she was sure of it. Hilahila gathered up what little courage she currently had and glanced towards the sound. It was a…something, but it was nipping at her hard-earned mackerel! She sped towards the creature waving her arms, “Scram _, kāʻoki ʻia_!” The beast indignantly neighed, or as close as it could to a neigh underwater.

Now, that its attention was on Hilahila, she could see the front half looked like a…horse? That word sounded right in her mind, and something seemed to be just out of her grasp. She screwed up her eyes feeling that a past memory was trying to peek out of the fog that kept her in the dark, but nothing came. She huffed frustrated and the half-horse beast imitated her. “Hey, that’s not very nice,” Hilahila put her hands on her hips and pouted with her bottom lip jutting out. The beast didn’t have any hands of its own, only fins and a flowy fish tail, but it still seemed to look guilty. She rolled her eyes but now playfully, and the beast copied her. “If you give me the mackerel, I can take you to some actual tasty food for you.” She offered her hand out half-expecting it to deposit the fish in her palm, but alas it was only a half horse…thing…and didn’t understand a word she was saying. Perhaps Kanikau would know what this beast was and what to call it. Now that she was closer (since she had to grab the mackerel herself), it was very beautiful for whatever genetic splicing it endured. The horse half was covered with short, coarse dark hair that was somewhat soft to the touch. The fish half’s scales were a little lighter than the hair and almost had a dappling pattern under the sunlight. Its…wait, her (though Hilahila felt awkward checking) …fins were the same color as her scales but thicker than either of the sirens’ own webbed fins.

“You’re a real beaut,” She reached out her hand and the beast allowed her to stroke its neck. “Not cute enough to eat my mackerel but I bet we can find you some seagrass or something.” She gave a few more reassuring pats and swam a few meters away. Thankfully she felt a velvety muzzle against her hair and knew she was following close behind. “Let’s get you home, beaut.”

* * *

The name stuck, beaut or Nani, became a new staple to the sirens. She would accompany Hilahila hunting and loved swimming with Kanikau on patrols. Hilahila would much rather have Nani with her hunting though, it went much more, should she say _swimmingly_ , with her. Hilahila also felt a little better as Kanikau didn’t know what Nani was either, so they kept referring to her as a beast. Kanikau wasn’t as fond of her as Hilahila was as the beast ate through their stores of seagrass and kelp at an alarming rate, but Nani was slowly charming her even earning some pats on good days.

On one of these good days with Kanikau busy on gathering close to the coral reef, Hilahila was determined to look closer at the book (yes, if she thought about what it looked like, book seemed to be the best descriptor) Kanikau kept from her prying eyes. Underneath a small pile of pebbles next to the bed of woven kelp the captain slept on, Hilahila carefully removed the mysterious book. Curiously, the bound cover and pages within felt dry even with spending what looked like to be decades in the ocean. Her fingers carefully caressed the very first page; it was blank except for the initials T.A.S. Keeping one eye darting back to the alcove entrance, she turned the page and this time found that it was filled with handwritten notes.

_To whom it may concern:_

_I will start to write down my current observations here instead of the official logbook in fear I be deemed insane. Even the act writing it down seems illogical, but I want a record to prove that I am not going mad! Should it be the saltwater finally claiming me, at least this will follow me in whatever fate I fall upon. The captain was gracious enough to cast a waterproof spell on this book, but I must not waste too much ink and pages on introductions lest I run out. I do not want to impose my silly whims onto the people that pay me. I am keeping this book on my person at all times so no one can stumble upon my ramblings._

_But I SWEAR I am hearing some sort of melody when I’m on night watch._

Hilahila was pleasantly surprised that she could understand the script. It certainly wasn’t _ʻenlelo maʻalahi_ (it would be hard to annotate different clicks and gestures), but she also wasn’t sure what language it was written in; it was on the tip of her tongue! Fidgeting, she flipped to the next page. This one looked more official with the date and time clearly labeled at the very top.

_05/13/1875_

_02:17_

_I am on watch once more and am writing in fear of dozing off. Ever since I acquired this book to write down my thoughts on recent events, all the unusual activity seems to have stopped. I would think I’m going mad, but McGlellan mentioned hearing noises some nights while falling asleep. I pray that we are hearing the same noise and my mind isn’t slipped. Only time will tell I suppose._

Engrossed in the logs, she quickly read through the next few pages.

_05/15/1875_

_08:42_

_The water is choppy, and my writing is barely legible, but this is the first time I have heard something strange in the daylight! Overmiller and Connwaer both confirmed they heard something but are convinced it’s due to the poor weather conditions. They might be correct as the wind is dying down and the sea is calming once more._

_05/18/1875_

_01:57_

_It’s as clear as day, the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard is coming from the sea. I think back to the old tales of creatures from the sea that call to unsuspecting sea farers and lure them down to the deep. They’re nothing but a tall tale told by mothers who’re concerned about their children running off into the waves. Although...I am beginning to wonder if those tales are based on some sort of truth. If I close my eyes I can almost imagine what it would feel like to gently sink beneath the waves. Being claimed by something as powerful and as vast as the ocean, feeling special to have been chosen out of all the sailors on the sea...not many people could claim that, no?_

Singing coming from the sea? No wonder this T.A.S. wanted to keep this notebook a secret. It all sounded crazy, but Hilahila kept rereading the passage mentioning creatures of the sea pulling sailors under. She made a note to keep an eye out for such creatures. She had gotten lucky with sociable Nani and didn’t want to get ripped to shreds by a new sea creature. She was so caught up in thinking about the scary creatures when a dark hand swiftly snatched the book from Hilahila with a growl. “What are you doing in my room?” Kanikau snapped, crossing her arms over the book against her chest. “And why are you snooping with things that aren’t yours?”

“I-I-I…” Hilahila stuttered trying to come up with a proper reason. She was saved by Kanikau just spinning around and leaving, casting an annoyed glance as she went. Perhaps Hilahila didn’t have to be worried about any singing creatures if she had Kanikau’s wrath hanging over her head.

* * *

Kanikau kept the book glued to her side during the next couple weeks with the added bonus of thoroughly ignoring Hilahila. She couldn’t explain why she felt such an urge to keep the book from her hunter but wasn’t about to question a gut feeling. She sat with the book on her knees opened up to a random page and stroked the soft paper. She didn’t understand what the black scribbles were but had a feeling Hilahila might. Would that be a good thing? Hilahila could possibly tell her what secrets were inside but again, Kanikau wanted to know _first_ and perhaps it was something only the captain should know. Hilahila poked her head into her alcove and put her hand over her eyes when she saw the book in plain sight. “Would you like a mackerel, Kanikau?” She asked. Kanikau refused to answer and eventually Hilahila left with a sigh. Kanikau resumed her ponderings.

* * *

A couple tense months had passed and Kanikau wasn’t any closer to figuring out what the book held, and there wasn’t really any way for Kanikau to learn anyhow. She found Hilahila crouching near the entrance of her claimed alcove with black squid’s ink smeared on her hands. Kanikau immediately forgot about the book tucked underneath her arm. “Why are you making a mess?”

Hilahila threw up her hands exasperated. “I found an ink sac and wanted to paint my walls.” She gestured to the black mess staining her top and the floor. “But it burst and now it is everywhere!”

Kanikau clicked in disappointment. “That was a foolish idea from the start. Why do you need the cave black? It gets dark enough at nighttime in here; it’s dark enough now and it’s the middle of the day.”

“No, I was going to…” Hilahila shut her eyes to concentrate on saying the correct words, “I wanted to draw on the walls. Pretty pictures and patterns.”

Hearing the words patterns turned Kanikau’s attention back to the notebook. She held it up but kept it out of Hilahila’s reach, though this time for a more practical purpose. The book might have been cast with a waterproof spell, but she doubted it would protect against ink. “You know this script inside, right?” Hilahila hesitated, so she called her out. “So, that is a yes then.”

“I can read it.”

“Read?”

“It is not in _ʻenlelo maʻalahi,_ but I am still somehow able to read it.” Hilahila still spotted the slight confusion on Kanikau’s face. “Someone wrote words down in their own language for others to read. I know what ‘T.A.S.’ was trying to tell others.”

“T.A.S.?”

“I guess those are the writer’s initials, so their first name starts with a…” Hilahila tried to form the sound of “T” but couldn’t really do it justice in _ʻenlelo maʻalahi_. “Each of their names starts with that letter.” She pointed to the initials.

Kanikau snorted trying to not show her frustration at not fully following what the hunter was saying. This must be information she retained from the above-world but only subconsciously if she wasn’t certain how she could read the book. “Well, what about the rest?” She snapped. Hilahila wiped the ink off the best she could and held out her hands. Kanikau reluctantly handed the book over.

Hilahila skipped the first few pages that she had previously read months before. She was too interested on seeing what else was in there and didn’t want to waste time catching Kanikau up. They could do that later.

_“05/18/1875_

_9:45_

_This is my last entry in this book. If I wasn’t mad before, I certainly am now. Looking back at last nights (technically this mornings) ravings, shows this is a dangerous waste of time._

_06/01/1875_

_23:56_

_I have found myself reaching for this notebook countless times, but I could not resist the urge tonight. Captain Broward instructed us to not talk about the music; he never said not to write about it. If something happens to our ship, I want my sister to know what became of me. So, Alexandria, if you ever come in contact with this book, I regret to inform you of our demise. It’s the beautiful melody, I doubt we can resist for long. I don’t hear it every night, but it has followed us along our summer journey._

_06/05/1875_

_3:29_

_I am assigned on night watch and usually that is the role dreaded but any sailor as staying alert all night is quite taxing. Alas, I am joined by four other crew members all listening to the music. I strain every night to make out the sounds, but I do not recognize any known language. Yet it is still irresistible.”_

It took Hilahila longer to read out loud as she had to translate to _ʻenlelo maʻalahi_ in her head. She paused, a headache starting to form behind her eyes from all of this brain power, and Kanikau snatched the book back. She ran her hands back and forth over the cover with a strange look on her face. “Do you know what creatures sing in the sea?” Hilahila asked. “They sound dangerous.”

“Dolphins and whales sing. Lots of creatures sing down here. They aren’t very specific in their writings.” Kanikau shrugged but kept her eyes trained on the book. “And anything can be dangerous in the ocean.”

“Nani isn’t.”

“Nani is as big as two fully grown dolphins. She could be dangerous if she wanted.” Kanikau rose from her sitting position. “This book is worthless.” Hilahila started to protest but it fell on deaf ears. Kanikau was swimming quickly away, determined that Hilahila would never finish reading the rest of the book in case she connected her circumstance with what seemed to be growing into a very similar circumstance.

* * *

Trevor traversed the seven seas. Trevor, not Travis, had seen each of the seas, and if he were to interject _, it’d be enough for me_. Yes, he did interject, he did suspect, having traversed the seas, all seven, he saw all that could be seen and very tired was he.

_Now if only he had something to write his foolish ramblings, he would be happy_.

* * *

Kanikau cracked her neck; she had left the book hidden in a deeper set of caves connected to the sirens’ front rooms but was still anxious leaving it out of her sight. _Why was she so concerned about Hilahila being kept in the dark? She’s going to start remembering glimpses of her past soon, and I can’t just stop singing and luring victims…podmates…to the abyssi,_ she thought. Now, she rolled her shoulders continuing to crack her neck leaning side to side.

“Your head’s gonna fall off at this rate,” A cheery male voice caused her to spin and glower at it. The voice was connected to a tall lanky man with hot pink hair and an official looking jacket with lots of buttons tied at the waist with a pieced of flayed rope. _Definitely another siren,_ Kanikau glanced at the scar tissue binding his legs together. His _māhū pō_ must be covered by his clothes. He saw her annoyance and offered a crooked grin. “Just joshing around, doll.” Kanikau didn’t like this man. It might be in her best interest to just ignore him, but oh no, now that she locked eyes with him once, he was tied to her side. “I haven’t seen another siren for ages,” He rambled, “I’m sure I passed by some but most really aren’t the social type, you know.”

“Mmhm,” Kanikau rolled her eyes. She had a feeling she would be doing that a lot more now. And like a fool, she led him back to _lua wai_ and there was no getting rid of him now.

* * *

“A hippocampus!” Trevor exclaimed when he spotted the beautiful creature munching on seagrass. Currently, she was getting tribal-like patterns drawn on her by another siren. The siren startled at his voice and did a double take.

“Hip-hippocampus?” She asked.

“That’s what Nani is,” His escort snapped, but Trevor had a feeling this was news to her as well.

“Squid ink probably isn’t the best for that,” Trevor said instead. “Plus, it’s not very colorful, so where’s the fun? I use lichen to dye my hair. I can help you find better dyes if you want later.”

“…who are you?” The siren looked from the grumpy siren back to him a couple times.

“Trevor.”

An arrogant snort came from his left. “What kind of name is…Trevor?”

“It’s just my name.” Trevor shrugged. “I was unaware of the international ranking system for names.”

“Ōpala.” She muttered.

“Oh, is that your name?” Trevor was trying his best to be polite.

This elicited another snort. “It can be your nickname.”

“Bang up!” He grinned. Maybe this siren wasn’t so bad after all; he already had a nickname! Luckily, he didn’t know his new nickname was _garbage_.

* * *

Trevor sat next to Hilahila surrounded by a small array of dyes they created from different plants and fruits they found near the shores. She hummed while dipping her fingers into the lime green dye and with sweeping strokes, painted what looked like a happy cow on the wall. She added violet spots and a red rose behind its ear. _Her humming still sounded mostly human_ , Trevor noted, _she must have been turned recently._ He really wanted to ask and add that information to his brain but turning could be a very personal and touchy subject, and he had only known her for three months. Not the right time. “Do you want to try painting?” Hilahila gestured towards the dyes.

“I won’t make anything good.” Trevor said but dipped his finger in the leftover pink dye from him touching up his roots. He clumsily outlined what was supposed to be Ausonia, his old pet otter, but it looked more like a sad piece of driftwood. “I ruined your mural.”

“No, that’s a nice…” Hilahila squinted. “…fuzzy snake?”

Trevor chuckled. “Otter.”

“Really?” Hilahila tilted her head. “Oh, if you look at it this way.”

“I gave your cow a deformed friend.” Trevor also tilted his head. She was correct, it did look slightly more like an otter this way.

“Cow…” Hilahila placed her hand on her painting. “Yes, that sounds right.”

“Oh, you don’t remember much, do you?” Trevor found this was the perfect moment to slightly breach the subject of turning.

Hilahila looked surprised. “No. Nothing before Kanikau found me.” Sirens ( _ha_ ) rang in Trevor’s head. Could Hilahila really just have been lost or wandering just like he was? Did Kanikau have a knack at finding lone sirens or did she already start to turn ( _HA_ ) down a path of no return? “But I _can_ read, I just don’t know how.”

“You finding messages in bottles?” Trevor flashed his usual dopey smile.

“Not exactly,” Hilahila dipped her finger in the red dye and seemingly drew what looked like a book filled with music notes without much thought. “I found…no, Kanikau found a logbook and I was able to read a few entries to her. I didn’t get to finish reading it before she took it away from me.”

Trevor audibly gasped. This was either the biggest coincidence ever or Trevor could join a dolphin pod for how high he just jumped to a conclusion. It really couldn’t be his old journal? He lost it _years_ ago and was certain the dolphin playing tug-a-war with it would have chewed it up. “Why did she take it away?”  
“I think she was just upset she doesn’t know how to read.” Hilahila had a small frown on her face. “I just don’t think it’s fair that I don’t get to know what was written just because she doesn’t know what’s written unless I tell her.”

“Hm, I don’t think that’s fair either,” Though Trevor didn’t care. He just wanted to see if he would be able to write in a waterproof journal again. He had a lot of stories to tell.

* * *

“Hey, Ōpala!” Kanikau called. “You’re going hunting with Hilahila and Nani.” Trevor hummed in agreement but was more focused on rummaging through every small pile of pebbles in Kanikau’s alcove. Hilahila said the journal was there the last time she saw it, but he wasn’t having any luck. It wasn’t here anymore. “You looking for this?” A scathing voice caused him to look sheepishly up. There Kanikau was holding _his old journal_ with a rather murderous look on her face. “I don’t appreciate you snooping through my things.”

“That’s mine!” His shout brought a curious Hilahila and Nani to peek their heads in. Seeing how angry Kanikau was helped them stay back. “I lost it, it’s mine see!” He tried to point to his initials on the front page but Kanikau wasn’t letting him get close. “T.A.S.! Trevor Abcde Skye!”

“Why didn’t you tell me it was yours?” Hilahila said quietly from the entrance. She looked hurt.

“I didn’t know for sure, but it still has the waterproof effect! I can’t believe it held up.” Trevor said. “It’s mine, so I get to keep it and continue writing down observations.”

He swore he saw a brief flash of fear cross her face. “Finders keepers.” She crossed her arms. “I don’t think it would be beneficial to write or read anything in here.”

“Why not?” Trevor was getting to the root of her problem. “It relates to all of us here. I don’t know when you were turned, but I wrote down the process and you might find it interesting…”

“I know enough!” Kanikau yelled but at the same time Hilahila asked, “Turned?”

“You really didn’t tell her?” It was the first time either of the women heard Trevor sound even slightly less than happy. “Doesn’t she have a right to know?”

“She doesn’t need to know anything.” Kanikau hissed.

“What don’t I know?” Hilahila got braver and swam a bit closer to the arguing sirens.

“Let her read the last page, Kanikau,” Trevor’s voice dropped. “She needs to know how you brought her here.”

Kanikau had completely lost control of the situation. “Hilahila, it doesn’t matter.” Now, she was almost pleading. “I fed you and I showed you how to survive down here. Nothing else matters.”

“ _Let her read the last page, Kanikau, or I will recite it._ ”

Kanikau threw up her hands and relented. Hilahila took Trevor’s journal with shaking hands and turned to the last page (with writing on it). In an unsteady voice she read the last passage out loud.

_“6/16/1875_

_19:00_

_This is Trevor Skye, deckhand of the S.S. Ausonia, on the date of June 16th, 1875, at 1900. Captain John Broward of the S.S. Ausonia is sacrificing his life for recording these observations and I believe I will die soon after._

_Captain (he tells me I can call him John, but he is my Captain) opens the cabin door and we both step out. It takes every fiber of my being to keep my feet planted and Captain (I can’t find it in myself to call him John) purposefully walks to the edge. In a single motion, he dives into the sea depths. The music stops and I allow myself to go to the edge._

_They have him, whatever they are. I will know refer to them as sirens like the old wife’s tales told to disobeying children. The lead siren, the only one I don’t immediately recognize, grabs Captain (I’m sorry I can’t tell your family, John) by his hair. Claws sink into his scalp as he cries out in pain. The siren’s fangs sink into the base of his neck and its claws now trace the sides of his neck, leaving deep scars. Now the others are nipping at whatever part of Captain (I’m sorry to see you like this, John) they can reach._

_But I think something has gone wrong. Instead of his legs being bound together by some kind of flesh like the others, his skin seems to be flaking off. He is coming apart in chunks and the sirens are snapping them up as fast as they fall off._

_There is nothing more of Captain John Broward of the S.S. Ausonia anymore except for the scattered teeth floating in the sea. The lead siren bats others’ hands away from them as it snatches them up. Now looking more closely, it looks like it has many other teeth braided into its long hair._

_Now I know how my life will end but which end should I wish for?”_

Hilahila let out a small cry of shock. Kanikau refused to look at either of them, her expression unreadable. “Is this what you did to me, Kanikau?” Her voice shook. “What did you rip me away from?”


	4. CAN YOU RECLAIM THE PAST?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hilahila tries to come to terms with the information she learned while the pod comes across three very different sirens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- manipulative behavior -  
> \- gaslighting -  
> \- language -
> 
> TERMS  
> Carmina Abyssi | songs of the deep  
> Anima Rapientem | soul snatchers  
> lua wai | water cave  
> moku hau’oli | happy ship  
> māhū pō | night vision  
> ʻenlelo maʻalahi | siren language  
> ʻakaʻaka | fuck  
> moe ʻino ʻoe iā ʻoe | damn you to hell  
> kāʻoki ʻia | dipshit  
> mele loea | song immortals  
> kēnā | siren  
> kahu | guardian  
> kauwa | servant
> 
> NAMES  
> Kanikau | lament  
> Hilahila | confusion  
> Nani | beaut  
> Ōpala | garbage  
> Huhū | nervous  
> Paakiki | stubborn  
> Ikehu | energy

##  **HIKI IĀ 'OE KE HO'OKU'I I KA MEA I HALA?**

### " CAN YOU RECLAIM THE PAST? "

The waters off to the south of the coral reef were cold, unwelcoming, and tense even for the ocean. Kanikau was not talking to Trevor, Trevor was not talking to Kanikau, and Hilahila was not talking to either one of them. Hilahila spent all of her time in her alcove painting murals on every empty surface of her cave walls. Her dyes kept mysteriously refilling while she was asleep; she had a feeling that Trevor was finding spare fruit and minerals to replenish the colors he could, but she wasn’t interested in even thanking him. _He_ was still a siren, and what she gleamed from his journal, sirens were dangerous. Was this hypocritical of her because she was a siren also? Perhaps. But she still felt separate from the others…she would never wish this on another human.

A rock careened into her alcove and hit her knee. Hilahila frowned, ready to huffily chuck it back out when she saw a small piece of paper wrapped around it.

“ _Howdy, doll. If you want to talk about being turned, I’m the local expert! If you don’t want to talk, that’s fine but we still need to get some mutton in our bellies. So basically, a hunt with yapping or not, it’s up to you._

_Regards,_

_Trevor Skye”_

She glanced up and jolted when she saw the pink-haired siren waving enthusiastically in the entrance. She sighed, _no getting away from him now._ “Did you get my note?” Trevor waggled his eyebrows. She answered by getting up with another loud sigh. “I take that as a yes?”

* * *

“So, which option did you choose?” Hilahila wasn’t sure if there even was an option for silence. It seemed silence was not Trevor’s forte. “Aw, I’ll take the hint then.” Trevor fake pouted when he realized his hunting buddy wasn’t very talkative today. Surprisingly, Trevor _could_ stop talking if he concentrated hard enough, and hunting a shark certainly made both the hunters concentrate on not getting ripped to shreds by said shark. Even with Nani helping, the two sirens were a little roughed up.

With minor scrapes and adrenaline fueling Hilahila, she felt confident enough to speak. “Trevor, do you remember anything before you were…turned?”

“I remember my most memorable memories,” He paused wanting at least a chuckle out of her but when she stayed silent, he figured she wasn’t a fan of alliteration. “I _think_ like how humans remember as well. It wouldn’t make any sense to remember what you ate for dinner every night, but if you kiss a cute guy, you remember that it happened on August 18th, 1873. So, I know when I was first deployed, when I first fell overboard, when I first got sozzled which coincidently was the same night I fell overboard.”

“Then why don’t I remember anything? I can draw animals but not consciously.” Hilahila grunted as she shifted the shark onto her other shoulder.

“Oh, you’ll remember some things eventually.” Trevor said offhandedly. “It took me _years_ until I had decent sized chunks of memories _swimming_ around. Painting seems to be a good way for you to start triggering some larger memories of your own.”

“How did you trigger your memories?” Hilahila asked.

“I was turned with all of my crewmates, well, the ones that survived. Along with being used to writing my thoughts down daily, it was easier for me to retain my past.” Trevor shrugged. “But it just depends on the siren, I suppose.”

“Wait, so why did you come alone? Where did the rest of your friends go?” Hilahila figured that Trevor would take as many opportunities as possible to talk to company.

“Oh,” His excitable demeanor slightly deflated, “Sirens aren’t meant to be social creatures. As you have recently witnessed, most are very bitter and angry at their fate. Within a few months, we were either scattered across the ocean or torn to shreds over territory. That’s why I was surprised when a siren like Kanikau allowed you to stick around for so long. Usually a turned adult is left to their own devices.” Trevor looked at her. “You sure she ain’t keeping you around for a feast later or something?”

“Is she?” Hilahila gasped.

“Nah, just joshing.” Trevor laughed. “Probably.”

* * *

Trevor brushed Nani with a broken piece of sponge recovered by Hilahila from the reef. She swore it was already broken off when she found it but also sounded particularly guilty while saying it. It was too late now anyhow, and Nani seemed to be enjoying the rough sponge running through her short thick fur. She nickered softly as he found an especially itchy spot. Her nickering soon turned into clicks which he thought was odd; he had never heard a hippocampus make anything other than soft horse noises. He wasn’t wrong, however, because those clicks soon turned annoyed and profanity filled. “Yes, Kani?” Trevor puffed up his cheeks and slowly exhaled.

“Kanikau.” Came the short retort.

“Kau?”

“Ōpala, go scout out the territory.”

“Do I take Hila?”

“Whatever.”

It had been four months, and this was probably the most cordial conversation for that entire time.

* * *

It had been less awkward between Trevor and Hilahila since their shark expedition, but Hilahila was clearly still moping. Though Trevor didn’t hold that against her as it had taken him quite a long time himself to accept his life in the above-world was gone forever. Ausonia helped him get out of his stupor and realize that sea life wasn’t terrible; it was certainly better than being a pile of teeth! “Trevor, do you hear that?” Hilahila grabbed his arm. They both strained to hear the faint sound against normal ocean noises. “Is that…another one singing?”

“A new siren by the sound of it.” Trevor said.

“How can you tell?”

“They still sound human,” His hand covered her eyes. “Listen closely. There is a hint of human behind the voice. If Kanikau ever sings again to turn, you’ll hear what a siren’s song really sounds like.”

“Are they trying to turn a human?” Hilahila pushed his hand from her eyes. “How could they ever do that?”

“You are angry at what got taken away from you, yes?” Trevor asked. “And what does one do when they’re angry? They take it out one something else, and turning is something they can control, and they know it’ll hurt the other as it already hurt them.”

“How many have you turned?”

“None,” Trevor said sheepishly. “I resisted the urges, probably only because I was able to see a turning from a third person prospective earlier. I’m nowhere close to an expert, though.”

Hilahila listened to the off-tune melody. “I thought siren song was supposed to be irresistible.”

“Well, we’re already sirens, so the frequencies aren’t as attractive to us. Also, that is not siren song, just someone who happens to be a newly turned siren is singing.” Trevor started towards the voice. “I’d be interested to hear their song after their voice fully developing because right now it sounds absolutely horrendous.”

* * *

The off-key singer turned out to be a rather tall siren with long dark green hair that fell past her waist. Her _māhū pō_ matched her hair just as Trevor’s did. When she saw the hunters approaching, she waved and whistled enthusiastically. Trevor might have met his match in the energetic department. “Hellooooo!” She called.

“Howdy!” Trevor grinned. “At least it’s not another Kanikau.” He muttered to Hilahila. The strange siren swam closer and pulled Hilahila into a hug.

“It’s so nice to see others like me!” She exclaimed.

“So, you’re kind of new to ocean living?” Trevor asked.

“I guess I am. It’s never dull, though, it’s growing on me.”

“I’m Trevor and this is Hilahila. We happily insist on you joining our pod. There’s another lass that lives with us as well.”

“The more the merrier! I’ve just been aimlessly wandering around. The only thing I really want is some booze, if you have any. I’ve been craving a good time lately.” She said.

“We don’t have any alcohol, doll.” Trevor seemed surprised at her request.

“Not even a little bit of gin? A nice pint? Some bootleg moonshine?” The girl laughed. “Remembering different drinks is the only thing it seems I can do, right now.”

“That’s…interesting?” Trevor was pleased that this new siren already was conscious of aspects of her past, it was just the content of said aspects slightly baffled him. Hilahila seemed connected to above-world animals and art, and he wouldn’t be surprised if she lived on or near a ranch. So, how much did this girl like to party to only remember specific types of drinks?

“And…champagne?” Hilahila surprised everybody by speaking.

“Oh, bubbly! Yes, please!” The siren clapped her hands together. “You have some?”

“We held a small party with champagne.” Hilahila continued quietly. “It burst and got everywhere.”

“Oh?” Trevor gently eased the memory closer to her consciousness. “We? Who was we?”

“Me and…and…Bale. Yes, we were announcing our engagement.”

* * *

“You’ve been a siren for how long and still do not have a name?” Kanikau said exasperated.

“I never stuck around long enough to need one before.” The green haired girl shrugged. “Don’t get all bent out of shape.”

“Bent out of…” Kanikau rubbed her temples. “Just…whatever. You can be Ikehu from now on.”

“Works for me.” She paused thinking. “Is there any way we can make a distillery down here?”

“No to whatever that is.”

* * *

Hilahila now painted with her eyes closed and her hands drifted wherever felt right. With every stroke, she felt closer to discovering her past and more importantly discovering Bale. So far she had painted a stocky-looking fellow with hair tied into a knot on the top of his head. His expression was always kind and genuine and though she didn’t necessarily remember any specific moments, she always felt a warm, fuzzy feeling growing in her chest. Deep in her heart, she knew he was a good man.

* * *

Huhū obediently followed his _kahu_ like the good _kauwa_ he was. His life consisted of doing what he was ordered and going where he was ordered. If Paakiki wanted tuna, he would catch a tuna. If Paakiki wanted him out of her sight as she sometimes did, he would explore the waters hoping to find something somewhat interesting. This had been his life for the past thirteen years and as he remembered little of the above-world, there was little to be missed. Actually, it was more like he didn’t allow himself to miss his past life. The only real connection he had was a small bracelet of his sister’s teeth from Paakiki’s failed turning and the occasional memory of fishing. If he dwelled on those memories, he would miss them, so the obvious solution would just be compartmentalizing all of his thoughts and feelings.

He was the first to spot another siren in the distance but kept that information to himself. Paakiki noticed soon enough anyway, and she had the pleasure to lecture him about paying closer attention to his surroundings. “What would you do without me?” She snapped. “You’d be dead without my help, you need me.” Huhū nodded. Now that he thought about it, what would he have done by himself? Just approach the siren willy-nilly? No, it must be good to have Paakiki around for reasoning. He raised his eyebrows to question what she wanted done. “Hm,” Paakiki thought for a bit, “Kill her.”

Huhū nodded. If Paakiki said it needed done, he would do it. The siren was inspecting a bent fish lure; it was a small golden spoon lure that had two cracks almost meeting in the middle. While he knew that lure was commonly used in saltwater areas, it was usually used for inshore fishing, so the lure found all the way out to sea was bizarre. He didn’t give her a chance to turn around; his arms were wrapped around her neck in a headlock and squeezed trying to cut off her gills. In a flash, she slammed forward and knocked him off balance enough to grab his wrist and twist it the wrong way. The definite snap of his bones signified the end of the fight and he cradled his wrist close to his chest. The girl had piercing amber eyes and a thick mess of navy curls and was rubbing her neck where his arms were. “What’s wrong with you, _kāʻoki ʻia_?” She clicked angrily.

Huhū shrugged. He wished she would just not struggle and be dead already. Now Paakiki would be unbearable for a week or so and limit his food intake. “Do I have to do everything myself?” Paakiki’s annoyed voice could be heard from meters away. “You’re useless, aren’t you? Can’t do anything right!” The strange siren now regarded him with what to be slight pity and confusion. “Excuse me, missy, I don’t know what is wrong with him. I told him to introduce us and see if you are a member of the _mele loea_.” Paakiki flashed a fanged smile.

 _Did she really just ask me to introduce myself?_ Huhū thought in horror. _Did I just try to kill a siren for no reason? Is there really something wrong with me?_

“ _Mele loea_? I’ve never heard of it.” The siren said. “I am Kanikau of Carmina Abyssi, and you have crossed into our territory.”

A flash of anger crossed Paakiki’s face but was soon replaced with curiosity. “Oh really? I would love to know more. We both would but first Huhū would have to apologize for his wretched actions.”

Huhū uncertainly rubbed his hurt wrist. _Did she really expect him to apologize? Are they both waiting for me to say something?_ But Kanikau shook her head. “No,” She said, “I don’t like apologies from people who don’t mean it, and if you are forcing him to apologize, he won’t mean it.” Huhū was pretty sure he could convincingly apologize to her as he did honestly feel guilty but not with Paakiki right beside him. So, he stayed silent as usual while Paakiki’s clawed hand dug into his shoulder as they followed Kanikau back to meet the other members of Carmina Abyssi.

* * *

With the Abyssi’s numbers up to seven (including Nani), a small get-to-know-each-other feast was in order, or at least that’s what Ikehu forced onto all of the sirens. Trevor and Kanikau were still very curt with each other while Hilahila refused to look any of them in the eye. Ikehu kept hinting at starting a brewery, Paakiki wouldn’t stop mentioning _mele loea_ , and no one had even heard Huhū utter a single word _._ This is why sirens are usually lone predators.

* * *

“Kanikau,” A small voice came from her alcove’s entrance. It was Hilahila with dyes staining her hands. “Where did you turn me?”

Kanikau weighed the options of lying or actually telling her. “You were diving with some others down by the reef.” She eventually said. Hilahila was upset at Kanikau, but perhaps she could refocus her hate onto another target: humans.

“When? During the summer months?”

“July.”

“It’s July in two weeks, right?”  
“Thirteen days.”

“Thank you, Kanikau.”

* * *

The coral reef was teeming with sea life; little fish swam in and out of the coral and sea plants danced in the calm waters. It was just another hot July day for most people, but not Bale. It had been ten years to the day since his fiancé, Lia, had disappeared during one of their diving expeditions. They weren’t experts in any sense, but they had taken it up as a casual hobby, so it really _did not make sense_. Lia had a good head on her; there should be no reason that not only she didn’t resurface, the rescue and recovery teams didn’t find a body either. Of course, everyone else attributed it to a stray current or another unfortunate accident. That was a possibility since the world was cruel and unfair, but Bale felt something deep inside of him that told him Lia was still out there. Now, he figured he kept coming back to finally find her body to properly lay her to rest but one could hope.

He walked along the shore kicking small pebbles as he went. He wasn’t sure if he believed in a God but he sure was praying for a miracle. Then he swore he heard a sweet melody. It sounded low and melancholy and filled with regrets. He stopped walking and stood slightly swaying in beat with the music. It was the most beautiful thing he’d ever heard. It filled him with a strong desire to follow wherever the song took him, it made him feel safe and secure. Before he knew it, he was standing waist deep in the ocean, waves gently lapping at his torso. What was he doing? He must be insane! Especially since the song stopped for a second. _But why couldn’t he stop thinking about Lia?_


	5. LONG LIVE THE HAPPY COUPLE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hilahila turns her first siren much to the dismay of Trevor. More sirens join and tensions rise as clashing personalities are forced to live together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- manipulative behavior -  
> \- gaslighting -  
> \- language -
> 
> TERMS  
> Carmina Abyssi | songs of the deep  
> Anima Rapientem | soul snatchers  
> lua wai | water cave  
> moku hau’oli | happy ship  
> māhū pō | night vision  
> ʻenlelo maʻalahi | siren language  
> ʻakaʻaka | fuck  
> moe ʻino ʻoe iā ʻoe | damn you to hell  
> kāʻoki ʻia | dipshit  
> mele loea | song immortals  
> kēnā | siren  
> kahu | guardian  
> kauwa | servant  
> e hele i ka ʻoki! | go to hell serpent!  
> ʻala | bitch
> 
> NAMES  
> Kanikau | lament  
> Hilahila | confusion  
> Nani | beaut  
> Ōpala | garbage  
> Huhū | nervous  
> Paakiki | stubborn  
> Ikehu | energy

## E OLA LŌ'IHI A LĀ

### " LONG LIVE THE HAPPY COUPLE "

Siren songs don’t just attract humans, they attract many other species. The balance between human and siren language enveloped in song is a vocal dance many aren’t privileged to ever hear and yet the lucky are still the ones who never have the misfortune to hear the song. While sirens have the greatest ability to resist said songs (the frequencies weren’t appealing as turned sirens), but Trevor was drawn towards the melody by his curiosity and gut instinct. As he drew closer to the sound, he was also getting closer to the coral reef and shore, and the heavy feeling in his chest grew larger. A splashing was heard as a human leaped into the waves. Trevor swam faster and noticed two drifting figures in the distance; one with navy hair and the other with a light brown. “Kanikau!” Trevor couldn’t catch up to the women fast enough. “Hilahila!” They turned but Hilahila didn’t stop her singing. “Kanikau! What are you making her do, are you crazy?” He screamed.

“I’m not making her do anything!” Kanikau crossed her arms. “She asked how to turn and I’m overseeing it!” She waved an inactivated _māhū pō._

Kanikau obviously was not to be swayed but that wasn’t surprising. She had turned someone already, there was no coming back from that. But, Trevor could still try to save Hilahila from the constant waves of guilt and anger. “Hilahila, stop! You still have a chance to be happy down here!” Her eyes screwed up tightly, but she continued. “He won’t remember you! He won’t remember anything! Don’t do this, I beg of you!”

But Hilahila met the man halfway and cradled him under the water. “Pierce through his neck.” Kanikau instructed. She shot a triumphant glare at Trevor. _Who’s on your side now?_ The look seemed to gloat. “Bite a spot for the _māhū pō_.”

The human in her grasp started to struggle; not because of any will to live (the song took care of that) but the subconscious throws of near death. He had already swallowed a lot of water and the time before permanent brain damage was dwindling. Finally, Hilahila’s shaking claws pierced through his neck, leaving the four distinct gashes where gills would form if the turn was successful. Her trembling lips brushed against the base of his neck and slowly opened to allow her fangs to sink into his flesh. Bale thrashed again, making Hilahila quickly reach behind her for the _māhū pō_ Kanikau held. She pressed the stone to his neck and held it there while all three of them stared at it, waiting for it to either stick or tumble off. “We might have a tasty meal tonight.” Kanikau glowered at Trevor. _Are you going to join the feast?_ Her eyebrows said. _Stay and watch Hilahila eat her own mate?_

But no one was eating human tonight; Bale’s _māhū pō_ stuck and gills started to form. “Let’s take him back to my alcove.” Hilahila’s voice was hoarse from singing and it looked like she’d been crying. “He can stay with me.” Her and Kanikau each grabbed an arm and his limp form floated behind.

“Are you happy now?” Trevor crossed his arms.

“We’re together again.” Hilahila said but wouldn’t meet his eyes.

“I wasn’t talking to you.” Trevor grabbed Kanikau’s arm, but she wrenched it out of his grasp. “Are you happy, Kanikau?”

“I only helped a podmate.” Kanikau bared her teeth in a demented grin. “A good captain would do the same. I guess that’s why I’m in charge.”

* * *

Ikehu popped her head into Hilahila’s alcove. Hilahila was carefully running her fingers through Bale’s curls with a concerned look. “You said he’s a farmer?” Ikehu’s voice startled Hilahila and she got her hand tangled in his thick curls.

“I think.” Hilahila whispered.

“He knows how to make moonshine?” Ikehu tried to sound like she was teasing but everyone could tell she really meant it.

“I don’t know.” Hilahila freed her finger and parted his hair. “Does his hair look like it’s graying?” She beckoned Ikehu closer. “Look, he wasn’t graying before. And his face looks weathered.”

“Would he just have been stressed after you disappeared?” Ikehu offered. “He can tell us when he wakes up.”

“It’s already been a week.” Hilahila tapped Bale’s forehead. “Kanikau said he’d be awake eventually but what if he doesn’t?”

“Does he know underwater plants?”

“I doubt he’ll know how to make booze underwater.” Hilahila snapped. “You can go tell Paakiki that he’s not awake yet. I know she sent you to get the gossip.”

“You don’t have to be so rude about it.” Ikehu puffed her cheeks. “I _am_ concerned myself, you know.”

“ _E hele i ka ʻoki slut slut!_ ”

“ _ʻala._ ” Ikehu muttered but left.

* * *

Huhū cradled his wrist. He had tried binding it straight with sticks and seaweed but Paakiki was constantly running him ragged like she was _trying_ to make it worse. Gathering hurt like hell even with Ikehu taking on the brunt of the work. “Why do you even listen to that old hag?” Ikehu asked. “She doesn’t do anything useful except boss you around.”

“I have to listen to her. I am her _kauwa_ and must do what she asks.” Huhū spoke in monotone. “I’ve done just that for fifteen years and nothing else.”

“How boring,” Ikehu rolled her eyes. “Can’t you just stop? Kanikau is in charge anyway.”

“Kanikau is not…” Huhū trailed off. It was true that everyone else listened to Kanikau’s orders and did not pay Paakiki any mind. “But what would I do without Paakiki?”

“You’d get to eat your entire share of food, that’s what.” Ikehu said. “She takes all your fish portion. And freshly caught shark is a _delicacy_. Not as good as a rum and coke after a long day, mind you.”

“I cannot remember a day without Paakiki.” Huhū flexed his wrist. A bone creaked and a flash of pain flew up his arm. It was swollen to at least twice its original size and a constant reminder of what blindly following Paakiki’s orders did.

“Whatever.” Ikehu gave up talking to him. It wasn’t worth swimming in circles trying to have an adult conversation.

* * *

Kanikau spotted the new siren from a mile away. For perhaps two miles…she wasn’t the best at judging distance, but the open ocean was perfect for spotting far things, especially things with bright purple hair and a striking red bandana. He had a long strand of seagrass hanging out of his mouth and a large Stenson covering the top half of his face. After swimming closer, she assumed he was dead, just floated suspended in the sea. Surprisingly his skin was warm when she prodded his arm and he jolted awake with a half-snore. “Wha’cha do tha’ for?” A large hand pushed back his hat revealing dark green eyes. “Ya interrupted mah nap.”

“Sorry,” Kanikau said but both could tell she wasn’t, “I assumed you were dead.”

“Jus’ dozin’, darlin’.” He frowned. His easy words were also clearly lies. He didn’t trust Kanikau nor should he.

“You dye your hair?” Kanikau pointed to his bright locks. “We have a siren in our pod who does too.”

“No,” And that was the end of that conversation.

* * *

“What do you think of the new guy?” Ikehu dramatically whispered to Trevor while braiding more seagrass cots. “He’s…kind of scary.”

“Scary?” Trevor snorted. “Just because he has a warrior title?”

“No, he’s so…uncaring.” Ikehu shuddered. “I told him to give Nani a treat and he said ‘no, she’s just doing her job and nothing more’, and I’ve decided I don’t like him.”

“Give Huki a little more time,” Trevor urged, “Some people aren’t as talkative as you and me.” Though he held the same sentiment of Ikehu’s; Huki only treated Nani like a tool, a means to the end, and Trevor thought of her like a sister.

“Hmph,” Ikehu huffed. “My gut instincts are usually pretty good.”

“Your gut instincts only led you to alcohol.”

“If that’s true, then they suck. I haven’t had a drop in _ages_.”

* * *

Hilahila and Trevor were so caught up with convincing a new warrior siren not to kill them that Hilahila missed Bale coming to back in her alcove. Luckily Huki was nearby and was able to answer some questions. “Where am I?” Bale didn’t have the ability to communicate yet, but the panicked movements gave Huki enough to work with.

“Welcome to hell.”

* * *

Anaia eventually relented and let the two hunters have a break from her constant swings from a rudimentary spear. It was really just a long piece of driftwood sharpened into a point at one end, but anything attached to her arms made her a better adversary. In truth, she had tired of swimming through the ocean depths, just as she tired of the canals of Italy eventually. A system of underwater caves near the shallows and a coral reef sounded attractive to Anaia, at least for a while. The girl who introduced herself as Hilahila almost fainted when she spotted a curly-haired siren sitting outside on the rocks. He had small rimmed glasses dangling from his crooked nose; it must have gotten broke a few times in his life. “Bale!” Hilahila called. “You’re okay!”

The curly-haired siren, Bale, looked up eyes trying to focus on the quickly swimming object approaching. “L-Lia?”

“It’s Hilahila now.” She tackled him in a big hug causing his glasses to tumble off. Anaia snatched the pair before it could sink into the depths. She took her time inspecting it before offering it to its owner. “How are you feeling?” But Bale had no clue what any of them were saying in _ʻenlelo maʻalahi_ , and only stared into Hilahila’s eyes. They would have to catch up later.

* * *

Bale learned _ʻenlelo maʻalahi_ much faster than Hilahila had, probably because of the amount of sirens talking to him was more than only Kanikau. _And_ Trevor, Hilahila, and Ikehu were much more lenient with mistakes. But Trevor wasn’t lenient with Hilahila and Kanikau; there was more icy silence in between them. “Hilahila is much happier now with Bale,” Kanikau would smugly brag. “And to think, you tried to take that happiness away from her.”

“She doesn’t seem happy to me,” Trevor snapped back. “She’s starting to realize that something is wrong.”

“Nothing is wrong,” Kanikau rebutted. “He’s just a bit different now.”

It took two more months for Hilahila to voice her own concerns. “His hair is grayed.” She fretted and wrung her hands. “His face is gaunt, and his voice is gravelly.”

“You hadn’t seen him in a few years.” Kanikau assured her. “He’s only learning _ʻenlelo maʻalahi_ , his voice will get stronger as it’s used more.”

“Hilahila, think for a minute. What year was it when you were turned?” Trevor pressed.

“Um…” After a long math break, Hilahila thought of the answer, “1960.”

“And it’s been roughly two years you’ve been a siren, yes?”

“I think.”

“Ask Bale what year he was turned.” Trevor said.

But a smug voice came from behind them. “It would be 1970 on the surface.” It was Paakiki with Huhū in tow. “I’m always surprised more sirens don’t know this fact. Time under the ocean waves is roughly five times as slow as the above-world.”

“Hilahila, about ten years have passed from the last time you’ve seen Bale.” Trevor concluded. “It’s been 95 years in the above-world since I have turned. Nothing will be the same.”

“I-I don’t believe you.” Hilahila shut her eyes and shook her head. “That’s not possible.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Kanikau was frowning. She had gotten the gist of the time difference as every time she surfaced, the environment was significantly changed, but this was the first of hearing about concrete numbers. She carefully grabbed the shaking siren. “Hilahila, what is done is done. You have Bale back.”

“He’s not Bale anymore!” She cried. “He’s not the same, and he doesn’t remember anything yet. What will happen when his memories resurface, and I’ve taken him from his life?”

“Maybe he won’t remember much.” Kanikau shrugged, but Trevor shook his head.

“No, he’s old enough to have some memories stick eventually.” He said.

“He’s going to hate me.” Hilahila put her head in her hands and sobbed. “He must have moved on, and I’ve trapped him here forever!”

* * *

Huhū knocked on Paakiki’s alcove opening with his good hand. An exasperated sigh was heard but after a couple hours, she called out “Enter!”

“Thank you for speaking with me, Paakiki.” Huhū bowed his head a little.

“Did I say you could speak?” Paakiki snapped. “Whatever, you’re already here. What do you want?”

“Kanikau pulled me off the gathering patrol since my wrist is broken,” Huhū raised his injury a bit, “I was wondering if you needed me to do anything else before I clean around the alcoves.”

“Is it your wrist that’s broken or your fins?” Paakiki rolled her eyes. “Go on the patrol.”

_This is going to make it a lot worse. I already can’t move my wrist anymore and unsightly bruises appeared every day,_ he thought, but he stayed silent and found Ikehu to join the gathering patrol once more.

* * *

After a long year of arguments and silent treatments, Bale learned a majority of _ʻenlelo maʻalahi_ but only seemed to recognize Hilahila as just a person he remembered. Hilahila was taking this very hard, even though she had experienced the same thing. No matter how much Kanikau _or_ Trevor told her he might get better later on, she still cried herself to sleep every night. And often cried in the mornings. And during meals and even hunting patrols. Hilahila basically was crying and if she wasn’t, she was dry heaving from crying so much. She stopped brushing and feeding Nani, so Anaia gladly took up the task. She was sort of an animal whisperer it seemed. Trevor wanted to take her on hunting trips as she had a sort of gift at luring fish from their hiding places to observe each other, but she vehemently refused disgusted at the thought of being bait. It took a lot of persuading to have Nani leave Anaia’s side for hunting trips, but her, Trevor, and Hilahila still managed fine.

“Hey,” Anaia called out to Huhū after the hippocampus was dragged away, “You’re going to be useless if you don’t rest that wrist of yours.” She frowned and picked at her rudimentary spear that was only for looks. If she even properly swung it, the rotting wood would finally break apart, and the warrior would be defenseless. Kanikau kept a real spear in her alcove but wouldn’t let anyone use it, or at least not yet. Huhū only shrugged. Anaia sighed, she was fine with animals not speaking, but the times she could use another voice, the siren refused. Paakiki and Kanikau appeared from _lua wai_ and it seemed that Paakiki was dominating the conversation with hand gestures and high-pitched clicks. They woke Huki up from his nap on the rocks and he pushed his Stenson up angrily.

Kanikau spotted Anaia looking towards them and cut across to her. “Enough, Paakiki, I’m sure _mele loea_ is wonderful, but we have to test our new warriors on their above-world breathing skills!” Kanikau grabbed Anaia’s hand and pulled her closer. “Huki, you too, let’s go.”

“An’ why do we need tah breathe tha’ rott’n air?” Huki plucked a fresh piece of seagrass to stick in his mouth. “Are y’all plannin’ on sproutin’ wings or somethin’?”

“What if a land creature attacks and our warriors just pass out five seconds into battle?” Kanikau snatched his hat and put it on her head. “You’d look ridiclious.”

“Nah, darlin’, you do,” Huki held his hand out for his hat. “But, give tha’ back an’ you’ll look a smudge betta’.”

“At the surface,” And with Anaia still attached to her arm, they swam up with a grumpy cowboy trailing close behind.

“You just wanted to get away from that _‘ala_ , right?” Anaia sat on the rock shelf a few meters down from the surface. She still had her rotten spear in her other hand.

“You still need to be able to breathe in some above-world air.” Kanikau crossed her arms. “Huki can go first and see if he earns his hat back.” Huki rolled his eyes but breached the surface. Kanikau quickly followed and Anaia did as well. She had the shortest hair of the bunch and could easily brush it back out of the way. Anaia hadn’t tried breathing in above-world air since she was originally turned and quite young in the canals of Italy. She had forgotten how uncomfortable the gills flapping on either side of her neck was and went back under after only a minute. Huki stayed out longer but neither time was enough for Kanikau. “That’s laughable.” She narrowed her eyes. “You’ll have to build up endurance.”

“My Stenson,” Huki was reunited with his hat which immediately got squashed on his head. His continued arguing was halted by a tied-up package flung into the sea in front of them. “ _ʻakaʻaka_!”

“ _He aha ke ano o kēia?_ ” Kanikau inspected the package. It seemed to be waterproof, perhaps with the same spell as Trevor’s journal. She looked around and spotted two stout reptilian legs walking away. “KILL HIM!”

Anaia tightened her grip on her fake spear and Huki clutched his hat. They charged, as fast as they could as the water got shallower, and Anaia swung with the spear. Like expected, it shattered into splinters and only caused a grunt of surprise from the creature…tortoise…man? He turned around with a _I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed_ look on his face that stopped the two in their tracks. “Sorry,” Anaia instinctively stuttered out and it was somewhat recognizable with half of her gills still under water.

“Dad?” Huki stammered. Anaia was now much more interested in his statement as that was _just weird._ The…man…looked at the two a bit longer and seemed to scribble something down on his clipboard. He shook his head disapprovingly and may have made a remark that sounded like “come back later for a second chance” but Anaia’s head was spinning and she slid back into the water. Before they could return to Kanikau, Huki forcefully spun her around. “No one needs tah know ‘bout this, do they?” He said through gritted teeth.

“We need to tell them that there is a strange man roaming about!” Anaia protested.

“Not wha’ I meant.” Huki shook her once.

“Oh, you mean…”

“Ya know wha’ I mean,”

“Why did you say…”

“His attitude seemed to resemble mah…nev’rmind, doesn’t matta.” Huki shook her again. “ _It nev’r happened._ ”

“Got it.”

* * *

Whoever the strange man was, they were thankful. It was filled with a handful of materials along with a backpack! Hilahila was the only one that knew the backpack held a small steel dagger, and then it was tucked away in her tank top. No one else needed to know.


	6. EIGHT LITTLE SIRENS WENT TO THE MARKET

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There have been talks of a market nearby; they are interested.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- implied brain damage -
> 
> TERMS  
> Carmina Abyssi | songs of the deep  
> Anima Rapientem | soul snatchers  
> lua wai | water cave  
> moku hau’oli | happy ship  
> māhū pō | night vision  
> ʻenlelo maʻalahi | siren language  
> ʻakaʻaka | fuck  
> moe ʻino ʻoe iā ʻoe | damn you to hell  
> kāʻoki ʻia | dipshit  
> mele loea | song immortals  
> kēnā | siren  
> kahu | guardian  
> kauwa | servant  
> e hele i ka ʻoki! | go to hell serpent!  
> ʻala | bitch  
> he aha ke ano o kēia? | what the hell is this?
> 
> NAMES  
> Kanikau | lament  
> Hilahila | confusion  
> Nani | beaut  
> Ōpala | garbage  
> Huhū | nervous  
> Paakiki | stubborn  
> Ikehu | energy  
> Bale | barley

## A 'EWALU MAU HAKU KINO I HELE AKU I KA MĀKEKE

### " EIGHT LITTLE SIRENS WENT TO THE MARKET "

Bale was starting to pull his weight. He evened out the gathering patrol when Huhū fumbled around with only one usable hand. Ikehu did good enough herself and was perfect for finding stray fruit bobbing along the surface by how distractible she was. He wasn’t disliked like Kanikau, he wasn’t avoided like Huki, he wasn’t ignored like Paakiki…you could explain his presence by the simple phrase, _he was there_.

Trevor found him sitting on the floor while Hilahila was continuing her art mural on the walls. His expression was blank, like on most days, and his fingers fumbled with a smooth seashell in his lap. “Doesn’t this look like a nice doggy, Bale?” She turned to him with an exaggerated smile. “Would you like to name the doggy?”

“Lia,” He murmured.

Hilahila’s eyes shone with tears, “Alright, that’s a good name for the doggy.” She noticed Trevor waiting in the entrance. “Trevor, what do you need?” She sounded exasperated. 

“I can take him out to show him around the coral reef, if you wish,” Trevor offered.

“Bale, would you like to go out for a nice swim? Trevor can take you, Bale, you just have to stay with him, okay?” Hilahila bent over and took Bale’s hands in her own. His seashell drifted to the floor. “Would that be alright?”

Bale slowly nodded. “Reef.” While they were all certain he understood most words in _ʻenlelo maʻalahi_ , his verbal communication was lacking. Bale easily rose and swam just outside the alcove; his physical abilities were still functioning perfectly.

“We’ll be back in a bit,” Trevor noticed when he turned back to Hilahila, she was silently sobbing into her hands. He left her alone and rejoined Bale.

He started in the direction of the coral reef. To be honest, his intentions were a little more clouded than he let on. While no one wanted to mention anything in front of Hilahila, Bale had brought the other sirens together to discuss a mutual topic. Bale wasn’t… _right_.

_“Somethin’s wrong with his noggin,” Huki pushed up the brim of his hat. “Somethin’s not right with tha’ boah.”_

_“He’s stupid,” Kanikau frowned, “It’s a good thing both of his arms are useful so he’s not a complete waste of space.” Huhū looked down at his broken wrist with disdain._

_“He’s not stupid,” Trevor crossed his arms, “I don’t know if he’s sick or just having a hard time adjusting to the change, but either one is understandable.”_

_“We don’t need anyone sick around here,” Paakiki slammed a fist on the rocks. “We need viable workers to get things done.”_

_“What work do we need done?” Anaia asked credulous. “We need food and that’s it.”_

_“That’s just the necessities,” Paakiki argued, “But I won’t settle for just surviving…I want to thrive and acquire the finer things in life.”_

_“Like some bubbly!” Ikehu butted in._

_“Well, how do you suggest to do that?” Kanikau’s voice was scathing and they were all now off topic._

_“High-quality goods cannot be made down here,” Paakiki explained, “Nothing good comes from the ocean, so to bring good things into our lives, we have to get them from the above-world.”_

_“If ya hav’n’t noticed, we ain’t got legs, doll, or ev’n lungs.” Huki twirled the piece of seagrass between his teeth. “How’re ya gonna compete wit’ our bound legs?”_

_“Trading,” Paakiki rolled her eyes. “Oi, neon hair, you can’t just run away from these issues!” She called after the leaving figure of Trevor. He ignored her._

As Trevor and Bale got closer to the coral reef (and the surface), Bale became visibly uncomfortable. “You alright there, fella?” Trevor tapped Bale on the shoulder to make sure his attention was on him. Bale only squinted and shielded his face with his hands. “Oh, it’s too bright up here?” Trevor pushed his hands aside and tapped his _māhū pō_. Could it be overworking and adjusting to the darkness when there wasn’t any? Was that even possible? He’d have to continue with sensitivity to light also in mind. “Bale, remember where we’re going?” He gently urged.

“Huh?”

“Where are we going?” He asked again.

“Uh…” Bale dully looked around. “Coral.” He pointed to the coral in the distance.

“Good, can you show me the way back? Back to Hilahila and her paintings?” Trevor snapped to get his attention and repeated his question. Bale nodded and started to wander in the general direction of their cave system, but a quarter of the way there, he stopped, blinking and bewildered. “What’s wrong?” Trevor put a hand on his shoulder.

Bale shook his head almost causing his small glasses to tumble off his nose. “What were we doing?”

“Going back to _lua wai_ , remember?” Trevor clicked. “Lead the way.”

Bale stayed still. “I…I don’t know.”

“Alright, this way.” Trevor relented and grabbed onto the other siren’s hand. They swam back to the caves with Trevor leading the way and Bale drifting along behind just along for the ride. They arrived to the rest of the pod lounging outside of the caves on the outcropping of rocks. Most of them were coexisting and the arguing ones were only slightly more grumpy than usual.

“Is Bale up for a cross-ocean journey?” Kanikau had her arms crossed and refused to look in Paakiki’s direction. It was obvious the elder had everyone else properly convinced that finding above-world traders was the next thing for the pod to cross off their to-do list. Hilahila rushed up to guide Bale back to rest.

“He can swim just fine.” Trevor shrugged. _As long as he doesn’t need to find his way back home without us._


	7. THE LONE HUNTER

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anaia is left alone to tend to the territory while the rest of the pod is at the market. Or is she alone?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TERMS  
> Carmina Abyssi | songs of the deep  
> Anima Rapientem | soul snatchers  
> lua wai | water cave  
> moku hau’oli | happy ship  
> māhū pō | night vision  
> ʻenlelo maʻalahi | siren language  
> ʻakaʻaka | fuck  
> moe ʻino ʻoe iā ʻoe | damn you to hell  
> kāʻoki ʻia | dipshit  
> mele loea | song immortals  
> kēnā | siren  
> kahu | guardian  
> kauwa | servant  
> e hele i ka ʻoki! | go to hell serpent!  
> ʻala | bitch  
> he aha ke ano o kēia? | what the hell is this?
> 
> NAMES  
> Kanikau | lament  
> Hilahila | confusion  
> Nani | beaut  
> Ōpala | garbage  
> Huhū | nervous  
> Paakiki | stubborn  
> Ikehu | energy  
> Bale | barley

## MEA HĀNAI MANU LONE

### " THE LONE HUNTER "

Anaia was completely alone and that is how she would stay for the next two years. Well, sea years. How would the time warp work while the sirens interacted with the above-world? She had no clue, but it neither affected her nor was controlled by her, so she barely dwelled on the thought. Anaia wasn’t even left with Nani, so she had to hunt alone. Most would assume she was devastated that she wouldn’t have any sentient contact for years, but Anaia volunteered to be left behind. Like previously stated, sirens were meant to survive alone and too many in one spot led to violent deaths.

Anaia made a small notch on the handle of Kanikau’s spear…or now perhaps she would call it her own spear. The captain had begrudgingly left the spear in case Anaia had needed it, and every day she made another notch in the handle. It wasn’t so much marking the days she’d been left alone; it was a way to count down to when the others inevitably returned.

When she was turned, her turner raised her in the canals of Venice, Italy. While at first she grew to resent the stinky, cramps channels, she felt too exposed and vulnerable out in the ocean. Did she regret escaping to cleaner waters? No, but she wasn’t happy with her decision either. She missed the feel of soft animals and above-world creatures. She was sure she would have surrounded herself with loving beasts but instead now was surrounded by blood-thirsty monsters, and she was one of them.

Now that her notch was engraved in the spear, she wielded it and set out to catch dinner. She turned from the colorful reef and towards the vast waters. _Where to start?_ She tapped the spear on her open palm and swung it a few times testing its weight. She was used to holding a fencing foil in her hand instead of a rudimentary spear. A fencing foil…a fencing _foil…a fencing foil…_

* * *

_“En-garde! Pret! Allez!” The referee raised his hand and the bout started. Alessia, only ten, faced her much older opponent but was not deterred. She had faced many students before, and no one could ever seem to touch her. She grasped her hilt and struck out with her foil to acquire the right of way. The blades clashed together with a satisfying sound as her opponent parried. Alessia recovered as her opponent riposted which Alessia blocked as well. She lunged instead, using all of her strength from her long narrow back leg to throw herself forward. Her foil danced around her opponent’s and came to rest on their chest protector. She had won a point._

* * *

Anaia returned to the land (or ocean) of the present with her spear still thrusted forward just like her old fencing foil. She hadn’t experienced an entire flashback in a long while and wondered what had brought it on. She supposed it was the spear but could only guess. There were no strict rules of memory loss, only frustrations. Most of her memories of the above-world were of fencing or animals. She had no idea who her parents were or if she even had siblings. _You can’t miss what you don’t remember,_ she reminded herself, but it was a bold-faced lie. She missed what could have been, what she never experienced, what she was taken from. But she couldn’t dwell (or try not to dwell) about this now, there was another siren on the other side of her spear looking disapprovingly at the sharp point. He raised a webbed hand and with a long pointer finger, pushed the tip aside away from his chest. The two regarded each other for a long moment. While the spear wasn’t directed at the siren, Anaia kept it gripped tightly and ready to strike.

Eventually the stranger huffed and straightened his bright white doctor’s coat with a frown. “Do you always throw your spear around willy-nilly?” His voice was drab and deep. He had dark pink eyebrows which were furrowed in annoyance and they also matched his pink hair. His skin was a bit lighter than Trevor’s and eyes were light purple, so the hair color was where the resemblance ended. His demeanor was much duller with no enthusiasm at all.

“You’d be dead if I wanted,” Anaia said offhandedly. She kept the fact she was only in a flashback to herself.

“I’m sure,” The siren rolled his eyes. “The glaze over your eyes surely didn’t indicate a flashback at all.”

It was Anaia’s turn to huff. “I am not objecting to killing you now.”

“You won’t.”

“I won’t?” Anaia easily spun the spear in her hands. “I really could.”

“I could learn how to play the guitar, but does that mean I will?” The siren said. “No, because I have better things to do. What good would killing me do?”

“Make the waters quiet again.” Anaia muttered. She hated the fact he was right. She certainly could kill him and would if she had to, but she wasn’t the one to kill for sport. They had Kanikau and Paakiki for that. Neither said anything else, it seemed they had reached an unspoken agreement to just go on with their own lives. After all, Anaia still had two years to herself. When they turned to go their separate ways, they weren’t very separate at all. Anaia decided to give up hunting for the moment and was going back to _lua wai_ to eat a spare apple, and the siren also started in the direction of the coral reef and in turn, _lua wai_. “Where are you heading?” Anaia snapped.

“None. Of. Your. Business.” The siren retorted. Anaia couldn’t just go back to her alcove; a stranger was following her (or she following him) and if she returned home, he would also know where her home resided. Instead of returning, she swam behind him from a distance until he eventually arrived at the coral reef. He spun around with his hands inches from the coral. “Get out of here, _scum_.”

“This is Abyssi territory,” Anaia aimed the spear again. “You are trespassing.”

“You cannot claim an entire reef.” The siren scoffed. “This is a minefield of resources, and you are sitting on top of it and wasting all of its healing properties.”

“Too bad, so sad.” Anaia said. “It’s just a bunch of coral and plants.”

“ _Just a bunch of plants!_ ” The siren exclaimed. “An unlimited ecosystem of resources!”

“Looks pretty finite to me.”

“It’s. An. Ecosystem!” The siren enunciated each syllable with a head bobble and pinched hands. “If properly cared for, it has untapped potential as it replenishes itself!”

“Whatever, you can tend to your weird garden.” Anaia rolled her neck, cracking her bones.

“You shouldn’t do that.” The siren put his hands on his hips. “If you move wrong, you can pull a muscle, hurt nerves, pull tendons or ligaments…”

“Okay, I didn’t want a lecture.” Anaia held up a hand. “Just…stay wherever, just don’t…talk to me.”

“That’ll be the easiest thing I’ve ever done,” The siren turned back to the reef. “You aren’t even here.”

* * *

Anaia now notched her spear with force. _How dare Olakino ruin her solitude!_ He thankfully had kept to himself most of the time; neither of them really wanted the other to exist, but she could never shake the feeling of having company.


	8. 'TIL DEATH DO US PART

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A certain elder is stirring up trouble while Hilahila deals with the harsh reality of being a siren.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- language -  
> \- cannibalism implications -
> 
> TERMS  
> Carmina Abyssi | songs of the deep  
> Anima Rapientem | soul snatchers  
> lua wai | water cave  
> moku hau’oli | happy ship  
> māhū pō | night vision  
> ʻenlelo maʻalahi | siren language  
> ʻakaʻaka | fuck  
> moe ʻino ʻoe iā ʻoe | damn you to hell  
> kāʻoki ʻia | dipshit  
> mele loea | song immortals  
> kēnā | siren  
> kahu | guardian  
> kauwa | servant  
> e hele i ka ʻoki! | go to hell serpent!  
> ʻala | bitch  
> he aha ke ano o kēia? | what the hell is this?  
> scum | scum  
> hele pela! | bug off!
> 
> NAMES  
> Kanikau | lament  
> Hilahila | confusion  
> Nani | beaut  
> Ōpala | garbage  
> Huhū | nervous  
> Paakiki | stubborn  
> Ikehu | energy  
> Bale | barley  
> Olakino | health

## WAHI A MAKE E MAHELE AI MĀKOU

### " 'TIL DEATH DO US PART "

Olakino finally got the opportunity to look at Huhū’s wrist without Paakiki tutting and sighing directly behind. Huhū sat with his arms crossed, now so used to it broken and hurt that he automatically carried it in the way that cradled it. He silently held out a practiced hand but Huhū only looked at it dumbly. “Your hand, if you please,” Olakino snapped his fingers. He gently took his injured hand and twisted it inspecting every angle. Huhū let out a quiet gasp and snatched his arm back. “Don’t complain, you let it get this bad without treatment.” Olakino chided. Huhū offered his hand again with no arguments. Olakino hummed. “Anaia mentioned you broke this years ago which is evident. Your wrist bones tried to heal here,” Olakino traced a path near his thumb, “but wasn’t set properly. Your scaphoid bone, the one that connects to your radius, or arm bone, isn’t in its proper place. This has caused what we call a non-union and it’s severely affecting your range of movement. Your wrist needs surgery.” He concluded.

“Surgery?” Huhū repeated. “Is that even possible?”

“In the shallows, yes.” Olakino released his wrist and it was pulled to his chest once more. “You would be propped up against rocks and a stick to clench with the pain. Shouldn’t be terribly hard, but even if we are successful, you will still have a much higher chance of arthritis forming in your wrist.”

“I’ll have to discuss this with Paakiki.” Huhū muttered.

“You’ll need surgery as soon as possible,” Olakino urged, “Soon it will be unsalvageable.”

Huhū nodded solemnly and swam away, surely dreading telling Paakiki the update about his wrist. Olakino watched him with little interest. He was an odd character, very much the victim of Stockholm syndrome and manipulative gaslighting. Come to think of it, most of the other sirens were also suffering from different conditions. He had already made Hilahila very upset when officially diagnosing Bale with brain damage. It’s not like he was surprised, a lot of first turned sirens were affected by oxygen deprivation in one way or another. Turning was an art that had to be practiced and perfected…Olakino would know. Huki obviously carried lots of built up resentment and not just directed towards sirens either. Kanikau had major abandonment issues, Ikehu was a borderline alcoholic with no reliable means to get her fix, and Anaia experienced full on flashbacks. It seemed that Trevor and Nani (which was a hippocampus even!) were the only beings somewhat functioning down here. Speaking of which, his fellow pink haired siren was approaching. “Have you broken something as well?” Olakino took in Trevor’s figure. Nothing seemed out of place including every button and crease on his old navy uniform. It clearly had been well-cared for over the decades along with his dyed hair and other aspects of his appearance. Now that Olakino was paying closer attention, Trevor looked rather pleasing.

“Just concerned about Huhū.” Trevor shrugged but kept a well-meaning grin on his face. “I’m glad he’s finally having someone care for his wrist. It looks nasty and is rather useless on gathering patrols now.”

“I would assume so,” Olakino huffed and tugged at the sleeves of his doctor’s coat. He too had made sure to maintain his coat as well; it was the only link to his old above-world life and medical accomplishments. “If you’re so concerned about him, then why are you allowing him to continue his duties?” He raised his one pierced eyebrow.

Trevor spread his hands sheepishly. “He only listens to orders from Paakiki…and you’ve been around here for long enough to know it’s best to not question Paakiki, especially to her face.”

Olakino tapped his chin. “She could be easily overpowered but that wouldn’t be the preferred method, I assume.”

“I prefer not to hurt anyone, even evil old lasses.” Trevor chuckled and was pleased when Olakino let out a soft snort himself. “Though I’m sure Paakiki has some knitting needles or some trick up her sleeve.”

“Speak of the devil…” Olakino rested a soft hand on Trevor’s arm to quiet him. Trevor followed his gaze, after taking in the angled features of the shaman’s face, and sure enough, Paakiki was swimming over and she did _not_ look happy. Huhū trailed behind with a forlorn expression.

“What did you say to my _kauwa_?” Paakiki shook her fist at Olakino. “What is this about _surgery?_ You will not cut into him, you will not fix him, you will _not_ interact with him anymore!” She stopped with her hands on her hips.

“Ma’am,” Olakino raised his hands in sort of a disarming gesture but his voice was firm and steady, “If Huhū doesn’t have surgery, he will permanently be disfigured and unable to use his arm.”

“He’ll use it if I say so!” Paakiki shook her finger in his face.

“Get your talons away from me!” Olakino hissed. For the first time, Paakiki looked into another face and was taken aback. His eyebrows were furrowed over his purple eyes that seemed as sharp as daggers. “Touch me and you’re dead.”

“Well, I never!” Paakiki regained her composure quickly. She flipped her hair in a haughty matter and spun to face Huhū. “You are not allowed to talk to this man ever again!” She poked his chest forcefully with each syllable. “Nor the others!” Huhū weakly nodded and allowed himself to be dragged by his collar away from the two sirens.

“I think you’ve royally pissed her off.” Trevor rubbed his chin watching the two leave. “I’d sleep with one eye open if I were you.”

“I deserve to be dead if I were overpowered by that old hag.” Olakino stretched. “I just feel sorry for Huhū.”

“There hasn’t been a siren I’ve run into that turned out to be courteous.” Trevor allowed a bit of bitterness to enter his tone. “I’m sure once Huhū has a chance to speak for himself, he’ll reveal his true negative personality.”

“Oh?” Olakino turned to Trevor with eyebrows raised, “What makes you different than everybody else? What makes you so high and mighty?”

Trevor was taken aback, “What do you mean?”

“What is the above-world saying?” Olakino mock-thought for a moment. “ _If you run into an asshole in the morning, you ran into an asshole. If you run into assholes all day, you’re the asshole._ ” He straightened his doctor’s coat. “Just because everyone else has problematic characteristics doesn’t mean that _you_ don’t. Get your foolish superiority complex out of here.”

“I’d like to think I’m a bit different as I’ve never taken it upon myself to bestow my fate and curse on somebody else.” Trevor huffed. He was getting riled up, and he hated getting riled up.

“Oh, fuck off!” Olakino dismissed him with a hand wave and an eye roll. “Go tell that to someone who cares.”

And with that, any attraction Trevor had previously felt got squashed down on the ocean floor.

* * *

Anaia and Huki were now used to seeing the reptilian man on their patrols periodically. He dropped off packages filled with minerals, twine, various items of food, and even larger items like saddlebags and medicine. Now that they were used to seeing him occasionally, there had been no more slip ups from Huki uttering anything he might regret later. It was a chilly day in the autumn waters of the abyssi and Anaia wanted, no _needed_ , to get closer to digging deeper into Huki’s past. Calling a turtle man dad just wasn’t normal even for cursed sirens. “Huki…”

“I said I don’ wanna talk ‘bout it.” Huki pulled his Stenson lower. He seemed to do this whenever he started to become uncomfortable.

“It’s just very…” She didn’t want to say _weird_ and deter him from speaking. “I didn’t know if you were remembering your past or anything. Talking about it might help.”

He made a few vague hand gestures before settling on leaving them spread out at hip level. “Mah pa wasn’t ev’r real…” More vague gestures, “…present.”

“Oh,” Anaia said, “Like an absent father.”

“Ya, that’s wha’ I said…not present means absent.” Huki brought his arms closer to his chest. Anaia would have to thread the waters more carefully if she wanted to know more. “He nev’r said he was proud or anythin’.”

“So…the look of harsh disappointment was typical for his face.” Anaia concluded. Huki grunted and their patrol was mostly uneventful. The only notable part was watching a pod of dolphins in the distance. Anaia pointed them out excitedly. “Do you think we can get any closer?”

Huki shook her off with another grunt. “Prob’ly, but why would we wanna?”

“They’re amazing, such graceful creatures.” Anaia ignored his protests and dragged him closer. Some of the dolphins noticed the strangers approaching and looked their way curiously. “So curious and playful.”

“They’re not as good as ev’ryone thinks,” Huki narrowed his eyes.

“ _Regardless_ ,” Anaia butted in, “It’s fun just to watch them interact with the world.”

“Nah,” He drawled, “They’re naht doin’ anythin’ special. If we can wrangle one, we could use it to hunt or chase out threats.”

“Not everything has to be tamed for our own uses.” Anaia regretted turning his attention to the sea life. “We can admire them for what they’re built to do: just live.”

Huki shrugged and pulled his Stenson down, clearly ending the conversation. “Things are meant to be molded by the top predators, and guess wha’ darlin’? That’s us.”

* * *

It started off as a day like any other: at sunrise, the light rays started swimming their way into the underwater alcoves cracks and filling them with slightly warmer water and a small hint of light. This led to the majority of the abyssi migrating out of their alcoves and into the warm shallow waters. Even Paakiki let Huhū join in the underwater sunbathing. The only two sirens not up and ready were Hilahila and Bale. Kanikau wasn’t too concerned; Bale preferred the quiet anyway especially after their grueling market expedition.

It wasn’t until a blood red plume started to dissipate in the surrounding waters that the sirens started to feel uneasy. Huki tracked the trail to the source with a lazy hand. “Looks like it’s coming from down yonder.” His gesture rested onto one of the back alcoves. If they remembered correctly, it was Hilahila’s as a slight glimpse of her painted colors could be seen from this distance.

Kanikau opened her mouth for a better sense of what was happening. “It’s siren blood.” She concluded and smacked her lips. “Either Hilahila or Bale, I can’t tell.”

“Definitively male.” Olakino added. “You can taste hints of testosterone; it’s a smoky flavor.”

“Well, let’s go help then.” Trevor rose from his relaxed position. Adrenaline filled him just like it did on stormy nights at sea. He grasped Olakino’s wrist and yanked it up, receiving a heavy push from the shaman.

“Don’t touch me,” He hissed but didn’t lie back down.

“You go waste your time down there,” Paakiki hadn’t moved a muscle. “Huhū, go fetch me a coconut.”

Ikehu looked rather queasy. “Send my regards.” She waved a faint hand in their direction and turned away.

Both Anaia and Kanikau reached for the spear resting in between them. After a brief silent standoff, Anaia relented and Kanikau grasped the spear, notches and all. She led the way with an anxious Trevor and an intrigued Huki close behind. Anaia and Olakino followed less urgently. “Shouldn’t you be more worried?” Anaia muttered to the shaman.

He only shrugged and made a vague gesture to the larger amount of blood now dying the water. “There’s no blood transfusions down here,” Anaia pretended to know what that meant, “so that volume of blood will most likely be fatal. No need to hurry.” Olakino concluded.

“That’s kind of a disgusting way to think,” Anaia pointed out.

“Think of it like EMTs train,” He noticed the blank look on her face, “Emergency personals whose job is to tend to the worst of the worst. They do not run towards their victims, no. They walk to keep the adrenaline and fight or flight reflex at bay. What if I can be useful when I get there, but my mind is muddled by my own neuro chemicals? I would be just another body in the way.”

“I understood only half of what you said,” Anaia crossed her arms. They were nearing the entrance now and the blood was becoming more pronounced. She held her breath as they passed through a cloud of the metallic substance.

“Panic, bad and useless.” Olakino had his hands up again enunciating his words. “Calm, good and helpful.”

Anaia dismissed him with a rude hand movement but was secretly glad at the easy explanation. “Yeah, yeah, right like always.”

“Very,” He nodded as they ducked into the alcove. The water was thick with blood.

Hilahila was crouched in the center of the floor kneeling over the unmoving body of Bale. In her shaking hands was a steel dagger that glistened red. She reached for his face with her sticky hands and messily caressed his cheek. Some of his own blood now smudged his small round glasses resting haphazardly off his nose. “Honey? Honey?” Her voice shook. Anaia fanned some blood out of her vision to try to see where he was bleeding from and gasped in shock. Hilahila had taken the dagger and left jagged cuts in each flap of scarred tissue binding his legs together. His exposed bones and muscles attracted small flounder and cod fish, all trying to get a piece of the fresh flesh. “Bale!” Her hands curled into fists as the dagger slid from her fingers. She beat on his chest but got no response. “Bale!” With each cry of his name came a thump of her fist but the only movement coming from his body was just in response to her breakdown.

Trevor snapped out of the daze the rest of the sirens had been in. Each of them were just staring at the gory sight in front of them without having the slightest idea of what to do. “Hila, you’ve got to _stop!_ ” He pulled her back and tried to restrain her arms. Even though he was a good foot taller and twice the amount of muscle, her frenzy could not be contained. She lunged forward and grabbed the bloody dagger once more.

Hilahila spun around and faced Trevor holding the dagger in both hands pointed at his chest. “Don’t get any closer.” Trevor obeyed with his hands raised in a pose of obvious surrender. With trembling hands, she slowly moved the dagger down to her own legs.

“ _STOP!_ ” Trevor shouted again but it was unclear if Hilahila even heard his protests. Like in a trance, she raised her hands above the first piece of fleshy scar tissue and forcefully brought the dagger down until it sunk hilt-deep in her flesh. She let out a sharp breath but yanked the dagger out, sending a new stream of red through the water, and stabbed again and again. The sirens swam back almost choking on the large amount of blood now surrounding them. They couldn’t see Hilahila anymore but could only listen to the rips and tears of steel against flesh and muscle.

The sirens had to spend the next two days sleeping on the shelf rock in the shallows to let the waters clear. Every now and then, someone would duck away to “check if _lua wai_ was habitable” yet but returned while wiping their mouth.

* * *

> [song of the sea](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6wVijh2n9g)


	9. DON'T FEED THE WILDLIFE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ikehu finds a sea dragon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- alcoholism mention -
> 
> TERMS  
> Carmina Abyssi | songs of the deep  
> Anima Rapientem | soul snatchers  
> lua wai | water cave  
> moku hau’oli | happy ship  
> māhū pō | night vision  
> ʻenlelo maʻalahi | siren language  
> ʻakaʻaka | fuck  
> moe ʻino ʻoe iā ʻoe | damn you to hell  
> kāʻoki ʻia | dipshit  
> mele loea | song immortals  
> kēnā | siren  
> kahu | guardian  
> kauwa | servant  
> e hele i ka ʻoki! | go to hell serpent!  
> ʻala | bitch  
> he aha ke ano o kēia? | what the hell is this?  
> scum | scum  
> hele pela! | bug off!
> 
> NAMES  
> Kanikau | lament  
> Hilahila | confusion  
> Nani | beaut  
> Ōpala | garbage  
> Huhū | nervous  
> Paakiki | stubborn  
> Ikehu | energy  
> Bale | barley  
> Olakino | health  
> Nahesa | serpent

## MAI HĀNAI I KA HOLOHOLONA HIHIU

### " DON'T FEED THE WILDLIFE "

Ikehu shielded her stash of leftover wine she had traded for at the marketplace. She had bragged about carefully rationing the bottles which is a _big deal for a borderline alcoholic._ And Olakino wanted to just take that away from her, and for what? _SURGERY?_ Well, once she paused and thought about it, it was a noble sacrifice, but also she finally acquired wine and the last of it was to be used as an anesthetic? Understandable…but unfair! “What, are you a child hiding a stash of cookies?” Olakino snapped his fingers. “We don’t have all day, you know. Huhū’s in a lot of pain.”

She hated being called a child but couldn’t help her whine. “But it’s _miiiiiiine!_ ” Ikehu triumphantly watched Olakino duck out of her alcove. She thought it would have been a lot harder to convince him to find another anesthetic source, and she did admit she felt a little bad about not helping Huhū in his time of need. All her guilt was quickly washed away, however, when Olakino returned with Anaia and Huki, both wielding staffs. “They won’t beat me up.” Ikehu crossed her arms.

“Oh, I glad’y will,” Huki raised his staff and Ikehu flinched. He was rather threatening.

“It’s for Huhū,” Anaia held her staff firmly. “You got the rest of the wine, come on.”

Ikehu crossly drifted away from the bottles and Olakino quickly descended on them. “Ridiculous,” He muttered and rolled his eyes as he grabbed the half-filled bottles. “What are you, three?” Ikehu didn’t grace him with a response; she turned tail and swam out without a second thought. For the first time since she was turned, she thought of her father. She didn’t like that.

* * *

Huki and Anaia were no longer warriors on this day; they had become Olakino’s personal bodyguards. They had sufficiently threatened Ikehu and now they had to keep an irate Paakiki at bay. “You are misusing my _kauwa_ without my direct permission!” She was screaming while shaking her fists. Huki held up one hand to her sternum keeping her back.

“I’m helping your _kauwa_ live, dammit.” Olakino muttered. Huhū just watched the madness with wide eyes. “This way, Huhū.” He led his patient to the shallows where Kanikau and Trevor had created a makeshift cot with large, flat rocks. “Your hand will have to be out of the water. This pully will keep it steady. I might have to put screws in,” He opened his hand to show a variety of screws, “and then we’ll close it up and hope for the best.” He pushed Huhū onto the bed not allowing him time to protest. “I’ve gathered enough materials and sterilized them to the best of my ability, but honestly, anything would be better than your wrist now. So, lean back, take a big swig of this wine,” Olakino also took a drink before offering it to the siren, “ugh, Ikehu was excited about this stuff? Anyway, this might take all day, so just try to relax…”

* * *

Ikehu sat broodingly on a rock shelf overlooking a rather large drop off. Not even watching Wahi swim around with her mother, Nani could replace her wine. Also, she missed the appaloosa hippocampus that was shipped back to Mekhanikos. While it was completely fair to send the twin to the father’s settlement, Ikehu wondered if she would have been cheered up more seeing _two_ foals playing. A guttural grunt sent a shiver down her spine. The surgery must have started. Just like the night Hilahila and Bale died, she felt queasy just imagining what was happening, so she set out to wander away from the noises.

Since she hadn’t had her daily ration of wine, she had more energy than usual. Perhaps drinking herself into a half-stupor wasn’t the best for productivity? Nah, that would be ridiculous. She crossly screwed up her eyes and put her head in her hands. Drinking had turned into her escape, both under the sea and in the above-world. She had been the life of the party, retaking her bad alcohol memories and spinning them into (mostly) positive ones with friends. Now, she had no friends _or_ booze. Sitting with her knees pulled up to her face and her head buried under her mess of hair, she swore she felt a gentle hum residing from deep inside of her. A soft pull from her very core calmed her. It seemed the ocean was singing a lullaby with warm currants and soft bubble streams creating a soothing melody.

**hush now, mo stóirín**

She shifted her head slightly, sending a comforting cascade of hair down her back.

**close your eyes and sleep**

Her eyes were still shut but her expression was now relaxed and slack.

**waltzing the waves**

Her upper back muscles relaxed releasing her body of tension.

**diving in the deep**

Ikehu leaned into one of the faint currents and let it lift her off of her seat. With the same relaxed air, she let her body float freely wherever the current wanted to take her. No…wherever the current led. It wasn’t _taking_ her anywhere; it is just a regular occurrence in nature.

**oh, won’t you come with me**

She drifted deeper into darker waters, but she wasn’t paying attention.

**where the ocean meets the sea**

Her consciousness was also drifting away; the darkness of the depths ate at her mind.

**and as the clouds roll by**

How deep could sirens go again? Did they stay in the light as a preference or was the pressure too much for their human-like bodies still?

**we’ll sing the song of the sea**

Ikehu opened her eyes just a sliver. She thought she saw a faint light in the distance, down even further than she had already floated.

**oh, won’t you come with me**

Any residual thoughts of her father had dissipated, and a calmness entered her body. Was she dying? If so, why was she not fighting it?

**we’ll sing the song of the sea**

* * *

Trevor craned his neck to peek over Olakino’s shoulder and paled. He had never really wondered what inside a human wrist looked like and he certainly never wanted to see it. He inhaled sharply and ducked back into the water to regain some senses. “If you didn’t like looking, why did you bother?” Olakino’s voice greeted him when he breached the surface once more. Instead of answering, he slipped under the water once more and childishly flipped him off. After Kanikau’s five minutes holding the pully system up, he took her place and grumpily watched the doctor at work. His angled features were contrasted by the tip of his tongue sticking out the corner of his mouth. _Kinda cute…_ he found himself thinking. NO! He would NOT think THAT! Olakino was RUDE, ARROGANT, and OBNOXIOUS! Kanikau tugged his jacket and they switched places again. _See, I was light-headed from above-world air,_ he frowned at himself, _going crazy._ But when it was his turn to keep Huhū’s hand in the air, he also couldn’t stop himself from staring at Olakino.

* * *

Ikehu was not dead though she was closer to dead than to alive. She had passed the sunlight zone where sirens rarely strayed and had drifted into the twilight zone. Only faint rays from the sun waved in the water and her _māhū pō_ was working overtime to make out outlines of her surroundings. Directly below her was an entrance to a cavern. Without hesitating and without using common sense, she entered the cavern and was shrouded in complete darkness. Her _māhū pō_ yielded no help and the only thing keeping Ikehu from bumping into walls was gut instinct, or perhaps it was something more?

* * *

Huhū’s wrist was finally sewn shut with bonus screws inside. Every ounce of his body ached, and he was sure he would pass out if he even tried to move. “All better, ol’ sport!” Trevor’s voice came from his right. Huhū didn’t bother turning or answering.

“Not _all better_ ,” Olakino corrected, “It will be extremely uncomfortable for the next few weeks or even months. I wish I had even a fraction of medical supplies down here, but I think I did a fine job with what I had.” Cue a loud sigh from Kanikau. “However, you on no circumstances are allowed to go do any work or even pick up anything with that hand. _If I have to beat Paakiki over the head, I will._ You are on bed rest, mister.”

A meek nod was all Huhū could muster. He drifted in and out of consciousness while it was decided Kanikau would wait with him for a while before he felt up to moving back to his alcove. The captain passed time by skipping stones and diving for any litter that made its way into the reef. As the sun started to go down, Huhū was starting to feel more alive than dead and even risked turning his head. Kanikau was picking at a stained glass jar underneath the dusk light. She paused sensing his gaze lingering on her. “You’re alive,” She stated and continued her fiddling. “Can you move your wrist?”

Huhū let out a sharp gasp of pain as the new screws creaked in his wrist but his hand didn’t bleed or fall off, so he figured that was a good sign. He flexed a couple fingers. Good, he had full movement. “It…hurts.”

“Surprise, surprise,” Kanikau rolled her eyes. Her expression softened, however, when she inched closer and lightly touched his arm inspecting his new sutures. “You _will_ have to actually rest from patrols.”

“That’s not up to me do decide.” Huhū said hoarsely.

“And it’s not up to Paakiki to decide either,” Kanikau frowned, “I want you to rest and be useful again. And guess what, Huhū? _I’m_ in charge.”

Huhū stared at his wrist intently thinking. “I’m sorry I tried to kill you, Kanikau.” His voice was barely above a whisper.

Kanikau was taken aback. No one had ever apologized to her before, and she didn’t know how to react. “Well, don’t be sorry,” She said quickly, “I broke your wrist, so we’re even.”

“I shouldn’t have ever tried to kill you.” Huhū sighed. “Can I sleep out here? It’s nice under the stars…and farther away from Paakiki.”

“Only if you’re okay with staying alone,” Kanikau rose from her seated position. “I’m going back to my alcove; I don’t care what you do.”

“I think some time alone would be nice,” Huhū leaned back on the flat rock bed and shut his eyes. “Thank you for all you do.”

* * *

Ikehu came to rest on a breathing creature; she couldn’t see it but only felt its body rising and falling underneath her. Its body was covered in scales, but the scales themselves were not smooth but rough and textured. She let out a small bubble in surprise as its eyes blinked open and met hers. Its eyes were cloudy white and pupil-less. It let out a low call, almost too low for Ikehu to hear, and she figured it was using echolocation. Ikehu’s long hair that had fanned out to its full volume was pushed back slick against her body as the creature burst forward with a speed should wouldn’t had ever guessed was possible for such a large being. She hung on to the snout of the creature, dangling over the darkness of the abyss below as the two of them swam faster and further and further and faster. Suddenly, it was pitch black and cold and filled with what Ikehu could only describe as complete nothingness until all of the sudden, they were directly south of the coral reef. Ikehu quickly let go shaking. Now that the sun was streaming through the water, she could take in the beast before her. It was definitely blind as its eyes didn’t even try to follow schools of fish darting around. Its scales were a mix of dark grays but with an iridescent shine in the sun. It was also about twenty-five feet long with a thick neck and large blunt fins to powerfully propel itself in the water.

Ikehu looked at her own arms and legs and her skin was paler than usual, even her scar tissue binding her legs together. “I-I’m alive,” She stammered. The sun above said that it was morning when Ikehu first moped about around noon. At least one day had passed since she was near the reef.

**So am I.**

Ikehu heard the voice again, though this time it wasn’t singing. The creature seemed to be the source of the voice though only telepathically. “I don’t think I can bring you back to your cavern, miss. I’m sorry but I don’t think I’d survive going that deep again.” She reached out to pat its snout comfortingly and the creature leaned into her touch. A rumble came from deep within its throat, almost like a purr.

**I will stay with you.**

“With me?” Ikehu said incredulously. “We don’t have space for…whatever you are.”

**I believe in your language you would call me, _Nahesa_.**

“Well, then Nahesa…that’s a little complicated, can I just say Nessie?” Ikehu asked. “I don’t even know what you eat or anything.”

**We are bonded now; I die with you and you die with me. You saved me from death, and I saved you; we are one and the same.**

“How?”

**I’ll explain later, mo stóirín. We need rest.**

* * *

Huki was disappointed at finding a pulse in Paakiki’s wrist. “Alive,” He grumbled and unceremoniously shoved her to the side. The elder had fainted at the first sight of their new serpent. Everyone else tutted and went about their day. It was a good day as they had another being to learn about and Paakiki was subdued by the giant creature. Any day where Paakiki was quiet was a good day.


	10. IT'S BONDING TIME, BABY!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fire-lizards from the Black Rock Weyrhold hatch! Ikehu learns about dragons! Huhū's wrist works?! The pod finds and creates yet another traumatized siren.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- language -
> 
> TERMS  
> Carmina Abyssi | songs of the deep  
> Anima Rapientem | soul snatchers  
> lua wai | water cave  
> moku hau’oli | happy ship  
> māhū pō | night vision  
> ʻenlelo maʻalahi | siren language  
> ʻakaʻaka | fuck  
> moe ʻino ʻoe iā ʻoe | damn you to hell  
> kāʻoki ʻia | dipshit  
> mele loea | song immortals  
> kēnā | siren  
> kahu | guardian  
> kauwa | servant  
> e hele i ka ʻoki! | go to hell serpent!  
> ʻala | bitch  
> he aha ke ano o kēia? | what the hell is this?  
> scum | scum  
> hele pela! | bug off!  
> pīhoihoi | dumbass  
> mawaena | between
> 
> NAMES  
> Kanikau | lament  
> Hilahila | confusion  
> Nani | beaut  
> Ōpala | garbage  
> Huhū | nervous  
> Paakiki | stubborn  
> Ikehu | energy  
> Bale | barley  
> Olakino | health  
> Nahesa | serpent  
> Piha | parrot  
> Gula | gold  
> Keleawe | bronze  
> Koe | remain

## HE WĀ PA'A, PĒPĒ!

### " IT'S BONDING TIME, BABY! "

Huhū flexed his wrist and it popped uncomfortably. “Your hand still on?” Kanikau glanced up from sharpening her stone dagger. Huhū nodded. He had been spending more of his time with the captain lately but was still foggy on the exact reason why. It wasn’t because she was nice (because she absolutely wasn’t), but it seemed that Paakiki was a little put off by the blue-haired siren and Huhū enjoyed some peace and quiet. Other than that, they were a good pair as Huhū seldom spoke and Kanikau thrived in silence and not having to interact with anyone else. He popped his wrist again and let out a sharp breath. “Did Olakino screw something up?”

He shook his head. It wasn’t so much pain but a new way it moved. “What do you think of Paakiki?” He asked softly.

“That ‘ _ala_?” Kanikau snorted. “That old hag can go rot in hell for all I care. She’s insane. I don’t know how you put up with her for so long.”

“I never had any choice.” Huhū frowned. His entire underwater life was spent following her orders without question. “It’s part of the mele loea doctrine.”

“If you haven’t noticed, this ain’t mele loea.” Kanikau set her dagger down. “This is carmina abyssi where wrists get broken _and_ fixed.” That gave Huhū a lot to think about.

* * *

“So, what can that thing do?” Paakiki prodded Nessie with her long fingernails. Ikehu instinctively bristled but the sea dragon sent thoughts of bubbling champagne to calm her.

 **Not everyone is going to be our friend _,_** Nessie reminded, **we still have to be the bigger person.**

“Whatever,” Ikehu huffed, “Nessie can do all sorts of things: echolocation, dive deep without worrying about pressure, snore _really_ loud…”

“I would think a serpent to be more impressive,” Paakiki waved a hand dismissively. “I’m sure Wahi and Nani could do more useful things.”

“What useful things have _you_ done, huh?” Ikehu crossed her arms. “You only order Huhū around and no one even likes you!”

 **Remember what I said about taking the high ground _,_** Nessie tutted in her mind, but Ikehu pushed her away.

“You’re too…old!”

“My age has only brought me advantages,” Paakiki didn’t seem fazed. “I have more knowledge and restraint than some drunkard like _you._ ”

Something inside Ikehu’s mind snapped. She had heard that word too many times before though usually not describing her. “I’LL SHOW YOU WHAT I CAN DO!” Before she could attack the elder, Nessie gently pushed her back with her tail.

**I have something else in mind _, mo stóirín_. Something you might enjoy as well. Tell her to hang on to my neck and you can sit on my back.**

“I’ll show you what we can do,” Ikehu ordered Paakiki where to hold. “We can do this!” She gripped her dragon and screwed up her eyes. She had no idea what was going to happen, but their surroundings were getting colder and colder and darker and darker.

* * *

Piha spotted a quiet, shaded cove out of the hot sunrays beaming down on his feathers. He swooped down and landed among the ferns to be greeted with two large eggs (for an African gray parrot), that were being warmed by a set of smooth coals. He clicked his beak and hopped closer. Before he could peck one to see if it was hollow or not, a mostly human hand erupted from the water and batted him away. Following the hand was an annoyed head of a pink haired man. “Scram!” He garbled. More sounds came from underwater. “No, I don’t need help guys, I can shoo a bird away on my own just fine.” The man shouted back down to the water. _There must be more of them down below,_ Piha figured. Now he was annoyed enough to shift back into his human form to give him a proper earful, but as soon as his human legs touched the sand, two pairs of hands grabbed his ankles and dragged him under the waves.

* * *

“What are you doing?” Trevor shouted but was too late. Olakino and Huki had impulsively dragged the shapeshifter under the waves and were in the process of turning him. “What has he done to you?” Huki did most of the dirty work, biting and gouging, while Olakino simply offered up a stone ready to be made into a _māhū pō_. The boys were very efficient and had Piha successfully turned in less than a minute. “Now what are we going to do with him?” Trevor scolded. “Who’s going to drag him all the way back to the alcoves?”

Olakino rolled his eyes and glared. “You make it out to be some tremendous task. I’ll do it, lazy ass.” Trevor watched him drag the limp figure of the brand-new siren away with his arms crossed. The medic’s behavior was _very annoying!_ And only very annoying. Not kind of hot and commanding, not at all!

Anaia lightly smacked Huki. “You couldn’t wait ten seconds until I was out of the way? You elbowed my chin.” She grumbled.

“Just felt ‘ight, doll,” Huki shrugged. “It’s the course o’ mother nature.”

“Whatever,” Anaia pushed him away. “Your thrashing might have crushed the eggs!”

“He was thrashin’, not us!”

“ _Who made him thrash around? YOU!”_ Anaia balled her fists in anger. The two arguing warriors were interrupted by Trevor yanked them to the surface. “Hey!”

“The eggs are cracking!” Trevor pointed to the fire-lizard eggs that they successfully traded the Black Rock Weyrhold for. “Look!”

“Great job, _kāʻoki ʻia_.” Anaia poked Huki. “You did crush them.”

“They’re hatchin’, _pīhoihoi_.” Huki retorted. The three watched in silence (taking turns going back underwater to breathe) as a gold and a bronze fire-lizard poked out of their eggs and shook pieces of shell off. “Didn’ tha’ guy say they were goin’ to bond with someone?”

“How do we tell?” Anaia wiggled her fingers in front of them which they playfully snapped at. “Are they bonded to us or some random person?”

“With our luck, it’ll be that shifter that you idiots just turned.” Trevor huffed.

“Which one of y’all fuckers is gonna bond wit’ me?”

“ _HUKI, NO!_ ”

**_What’s a ‘fucker’?_ **

“Who said tha’?” Huki glanced around until the golden fire-lizard rapped his snout on his forehead.

 ** _Me! Me! I did! I chose you because I like your hat._** He smiled to himself. “She likes my Stenson.”

**_I’m Gula! What’s a ‘fucker’?_ **

“And he’s called Keleawe!” Anaia saved him from having to explain swears to a newborn. “Can they come underwater with us? Aw, he said no.”

**_You have to come visit us! Visit us! Or stay with us!_** Gula flittered around Huki’s head. This thing was starting to become a nuisance. “Yeah, yeah,” He batted her away. “We’ll see.”

* * *

Fight or flight are the commonly thought of responses to extreme terror, but Ikehu experienced freeze and Paakiki experienced scream. After a few blind punches to what Ikehu hoped was her shoulder, Paakiki quieted to a few faint whimpers. The three seemed to be in a different body of water now, she wasn’t even sure if they were in the ocean anymore. “Wh-what was that?” Ikehu stammered, hoping Nessie at least knew what was going on.

 **We are in the Loch Ness where I was originally hatched many, many years ago,** Nessie explained, **it’s a very beautiful place.**

“But how did we get here?”

**By going through _mawaena_. It’s the fastest way to travel as a dragon; the secrets of using _mawaena_ are passed down by each dragon and rider. I can only visit a few very familiar places on my own; other places will require both of our concentrations later on.**

“Alright,” Ikehu really had no idea what she was talking about, but she wanted to explore the loch. “Loch Ness? This is in…”

**Scotland, my home country.**

“And Scotland is in…”

**The United Kingdom, _mo stóirín._**

“Right, I knew that. Paakiki, we’re in Scotland!”

* * *

Trevor found himself sulking after watching the fire-lizards hatch. Sure, he was technically Wahi’s handler, but other than going on patrols with her, they each did their own thing. Now that he thought about it, the fire-lizards had to stay in the above-world and Wahi lived underwater with him….no, he couldn’t talk telepathically to her. So, he did have a right to be annoyed. “You’re ruining my view,” Olakino tapped him on the back, “I can’t see out into the kelp forest with you moping about.”

“Oh no, I’m _terribly_ sorry,” Trevor said sarcastically and put his head in his hands. “What ever will you do?”

“Maybe shove you off this rock,” But Olakino only sat next to him. “You wouldn’t get so upset if you weren’t so uptight.”

“Uptight?”

“’ _Stop, what are you doing?’_ ” Olakino mimicked him from earlier today. “It’s just a turning yet you were so worried about it.”

“I don’t find joy in sharing our curse with others.” Trevor sighed. It felt that he would never under the medic.

“I don’t find joy in it either,” Olakino looked at him incredulously. “It’s our natural instinct as a siren just like being hungry or tired. Everyone tries to fight it, but aren’t you tired? Being cursed as a siren is hard enough as it is, I’ve stopped trying to withhold that part of myself.”

“I don’t think I could live with myself if I ever quit pushing those feelings down,” Trevor sighed, “But every year it gets harder and harder. I hate keeping everything locked inside.” His hand instinctively jerked back as the medic’s fingers briefly ran across it. He tried putting it back in place to show that he was only surprised by the sudden touch, but Olakino was staring firmly ahead.

“No one will judge you for whatever you decide,” Olakino simply said, “We’re all in the same boat down here.”

* * *

Paakiki refused to even peek her head out of the surface, saying that she never had any interest in visiting Scotland so why waste her breath? This only gave Ikehu and Nessie more time without the annoying elder. “This loch is a _loch_ bigger than I expected it to be.” Ikehu nudged Nessie with her elbow. “Eh? How about that?” **It is over twenty miles long.** “No, I meant…never mind.” Ikehu deflated a little. They couldn’t be _that_ bonded if Nessie didn’t understand her amazing pun. **Oh,** Nessie interrupted, **you said loch instead of lot. That is pretty humorous, Ikehu.** “I didn’t say anything.” Ikehu said as she peered across the still surface of the loch. **You don’t have to; I can read your thoughts.** “Oh,” Ikehu ducked back under the water to take a breath. “There’s lots of things to learn about dragons apparently.”

* * *

Koe spotted the siren with the bright purple hair only a second before he. He raised a crudely carved spear in her direction as the other taller siren accompanying him pushed down the sharpened tip. “Don’t be so hasty, Huki.” The woman siren scolded the other. “You make everything more difficult than it needs to be.”

“Wha’ kinda warrior are ya?” He shoved his Stenson down over his eyes grumpily. “If ya won’t ev’n fight, wha’ use are ya?”

“Are you really other sirens?” Koe didn’t care about their argument. “Are you sirens like myself?”

“Ya, doll,” The siren drawled, “What’s it to ya?”

“My podmates have long since died,” Koe said softly, “There seems to be a decrease in the number of sirens in the waters due to infighting. I thought I might have been the last one left.”

“Nah,” Huki waved his hand dismissively, “I turned one yesterday. Yer not special.”

“There’s a few more of us by the reef,” The woman offered her a dainty hand, “Don’t mind that _pīhoihoi_. He gets grumpy if he doesn’t get to stab something on a patrol.”

“Well I’m glad your mate didn’t end up spearing me.” Koe faintly smile but the other two each made a face.

“I migh’ jus’ hav’ta stab you for ev’n suggestin’ tha’.” Huki frowned. “Be careful throwin’ yer words ‘round.”

* * *

Kanikau guided Huhū’s hand softly over the coarse fur of Nani. She leaned into the soothing motions as they massaged her withers and let out a small grunt of satisfaction. “She likes her belly scratched too.” Kanikau softly suggested and Huhū followed her advice. Nani flipped her head up and down in approval. “She has another spot on her chest, but she only likes when Anaia scratches her there.”

“For being so big, she’s really sweet.” Huhū smiled, one of the first smiles she had seen from him. “Paakiki never let me get close to other sea creatures. She said they were always wild and would kill us.”

“I guess a good amount of sea life could be hostile,” Kanikau said, “but let’s have a new rule to never talk about that _‘ala_ when she’s not here. I like having Paakiki-free thoughts whenever possible.”

“I’m good at following rules.” Huhū gave Nani one final pat on the flank. “Ask Paa…never mind, don’t ask anyone.” He received a thumbs up and raised his hand awkwardly in response. Kanikau only laughed.

* * *

Piha regained full consciousness rather quickly for a newly turned siren, but that might be attributed to him being a shapeshifter than just a regular human. The colorful drawings that filled the cave walls from top to bottom were the first thing he noticed. There were all sorts of animals, along with a couple crudely drawn stick figures, and Piha scratched his head. He didn’t remember much, possibly nothing at all, but something about seeing a chicken reminded him of…it was on the tip of his tongue. He drifted closer to the drawing, resting a hand on the outline trying to connect with the artist themselves. This was interrupted by raised…voices? A series of different clicks and squeaks that sounded vaguely important for a reason Piha could not yet comprehend, drew him outside of the mural filled alcove.

There were other beings outside that were making all the ruckus. Looking down at himself, Piha deduced that he was also whatever what they were, with his legs bound together by scar tissue and a glowing stone at his neck. A tall, light rose haired woman was holding another back, one with long ashy hair and bright teal eyes. A fit, dark-skinned man with bright pink hair was holding another woman back, one with flashing yellow eyes and tight, navy curls. The shouting ones were pointing fingers and screeching. He wasn’t sure if he was lucky being not able to understand the argument. He drifted back into the alcove filled with drawings. It was more peaceful there.

* * *

“Paakiki, hold on tight!” Ikehu gripped Nessie’s neck, knowing what to expect going _mawaena_ and slightly dreading it.

“There’s shiny crystals down here, I’m collecting them,” Paakiki replied from further below the loch. “Give me a minute.”

Both Nessie and Ikehu knew Paakiki was only delaying their journey back but said nothing. “So, Nessie,” Ikehu relaxed her hands and slowly stroked the sea dragon, “How do you decide where to travel?”

**To go _mawaena,_ you have to visualize your desired location. If it’s an unfamiliar location, it requires more concentration and coordination between dragon and rider.**

“Not to offend you or anything, but you’re blind,” Ikehu said, “How do you visualize where you want to go?”

**No, that’s a good question. Never be frightened to ask any questions. This time, I could take us to Loch Ness without the help of you as I am extremely familiar with this place. Visualizing doesn’t have to require actual vision, regardless of name itself. I can imagine this Loch, my old home, based on my engrained feelings and memories. For other locations, I can also base thoughts from what echolocation might reveal to me there as echolocation is how I “see” normally.**

“That’s very interesting,” Ikehu tilted her head, “I’m glad you know what you’re doing because I sure don’t!”

 **It’ll get easier as we familiarize ourselves with each other,** Nessie assured, **it’s vital as we could both be trapped in _mawaena_ for eternity if done incorrectly.**

“Oh,” Ikehu’s stomach dropped, “I would prefer avoiding that fate at all costs.”

**That will be best.**

“Let’s not mention that to Paakiki,” Ikehu decided, “Otherwise we’d never get her back. Though…” She paused, thinking, “I don’t think many would complain if she never returned.”

* * *

“ _YOU!_ ” Koe was sobbing and screeching at the same time, “YOU’RE THE ONES THAT KILLED MY PODMATES! _YOU MURDERER!”_

Kanikau regarded her with a distasteful expression. “I remember each that I kill, and you are not one of them.”

“Well, obviously because she’s alive,” Olakino muttered. “You didn’t kill someone who is currently living.”

“I have seen more calamity and grief than you’ve ever even imagined,” Kanikau snarled to Olakino, “I have never seen this siren in my life.”

“Maybe because there was tons of sirens and other merfolk about that day,” Koe spat, “It was a massacre, not a battle. It lasted days and your pod didn’t care who got picked off. We were just passing by, only bystanders but were still victims being strangers. You think I’d forget who mowed down my best friends? Because I never forget a face either and yours is the one I strangle in my nightmares.”

* * *

Piha slept restlessly through the night. The normal underwater sounds of the alcoves would take months to adjust to, and eventually he gave up and stared at the drawings along the wall. He was really drawn to the chicken, though he felt like a different avian would be better. Piha tore his eyes away from the mural and hesitantly headed out into the open. “Howdy,” A southern drawl greeted him. It seemed to be morning and the other sirens were stirring. “Whatcha do to yer hand?”

Piha looked down and was surprised to find that his left hand simply was not there. “I haven’t noticed that before now.” He mumbled. He really hadn’t as there were always preoccupying events happening.

“Well, I be damned,” The southern siren whistled as well as one could underwater. “I’d thought one would’ve notice tha’.”

Piha hummed a neutral response. He spent this time taking in the sight of the purple haired siren. “Did I know you from before here?” He asked. “You look rather familiar.”

“Well, I’d sure think so,” The siren chuckled cruelly, “I brought ya down here. Welcome to hell.”

* * *

It turned out that Paakiki was really collecting shiny rocks, though it was debatable if they were considered crystals or not. This allowed Ikehu and Nessie to explore more of the loch. Ikehu pointed out the Urquhart Castle, but instead of being ruins, it was an actual castle. “I didn’t know they fixed that,” Ikehu said offhandedly. **No, this _is_ the castle. Long before it was considered a ruin. I like looking at its whole state even though it was partially fallen when I was hatched.** “So that’s like the real castle?” Ikehu gasped. “When is this? I thought you could just take us to new places.” **Later on, we’ll have to pinpoint an exact time to travel to as well, but since I can travel here comfortably, I only specified sometime in the 1600s.** “That’s a long time ago.” **Is it? I’ve been alive for a couple centuries and still feel like a juvenile. Funny how time is so flippant in its labels.** “Sure…” Ikehu shrugged. “Look how funny they’re dressed!” She pointed to a couple of spectators now shouting about something and pointing to the loch. **Let’s go find the old one,** Nessie nudged Ikehu under the water, **if we make too much of a fuss then we couldn’t visit as often with too many onlookers.**

* * *

“She shouldn’t have gotten in the way.”

“It was a massacre.”

“They had an entire ocean to swim around.”

“We only wanted to help; they were harming _children._ ”

“Hasn’t she ever heard to _mind her own business._ ”

“We begged to be spared as we didn’t have any connection to their pods.”

“They begged because they were weak. Survivors don’t beg.”

“They killed my family!”

“Sereia killed _my_ family and they only got in the way of my revenge.”

* * *

Huhū was feeling calm for the first time since his descent into the ocean. Kanikau had her hands full arguing with Koe and trying to persuade the others that her actions were in the right, so Huhū took over caring for Nani for a couple days. He didn’t know what was different but didn’t mind. He would take any good feelings he could find without question. Three days after Ikehu, Nessie, and Paakiki’s Scottish vacation, they returned with _slightly_ more knowledge about the power of sea dragons. As soon as Huhū saw his _kahu_ had returned, the uneasy feeling of doom descended onto Huhū. “You seem tense.” Kanikau observed. She followed his gaze and huffed. “Oh, her? Why don’t you just kill her? She’s useless to us anyway.”


	11. DING DONG, THE WITCH IS DEAD

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Huhū takes care of something long overdue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- language -
> 
> TERMS  
> Carmina Abyssi | songs of the deep  
> Anima Rapientem | soul snatchers  
> lua wai | water cave  
> moku hau’oli | happy ship  
> māhū pō | night vision  
> ʻenlelo maʻalahi | siren language  
> ʻakaʻaka | fuck  
> moe ʻino ʻoe iā ʻoe | damn you to hell  
> kāʻoki ʻia | dipshit  
> mele loea | song immortals  
> kēnā | siren  
> kahu | guardian  
> kauwa | servant  
> e hele i ka ʻoki! | go to hell serpent!  
> ʻala | bitch  
> he aha ke ano o kēia? | what the hell is this?  
> scum | scum  
> hele pela! | bug off!  
> pīhoihoi | dumbass  
> mawaena | between
> 
> NAMES  
> Kanikau | lament  
> Hilahila | confusion  
> Nani | beaut  
> Ōpala | garbage  
> Huhū | nervous  
> Paakiki | stubborn  
> Ikehu | energy  
> Bale | barley  
> Olakino | health  
> Nahesa | serpent  
> Piha | parrot  
> Gula | gold  
> Keleawe | bronze  
> Koe | remain  
> Keiki | child

## DING DONG, UA MAKE KE KILOKILO

### " DING DONG, THE WITCH IS DEAD"

Huhū laid on his back on the hard alcove floor; sleep nowhere close. He had no cushion underneath him; his skin tingled as the cold rock gripped him. His eyes took in every nook and crevice above him as he memorized the ceiling. His fingers wrapped tightly against the cold steel of Kanikau’s dagger. He asked to borrow it earlier in the evening, only for cutting up some pieces of shark, but both he and Kanikau knew what would happen. They knew how this would end. This was the dagger that killed Hilahila and Bale after all.

* * *

The sun rose like it did every day and warmed the ocean waters. “Another day, another dollar,” Anaia mumbled. It was too early for a territory patrol, but Kanikau now “had a stick up her arse” and wanted extra eyes in the waters. Koe bringing memories of Sereia with her caused unrest and now extra patrols were required from the warriors.

“More like anoth’r day, anoth’r nickel.” Huki grumbled. Anaia couldn’t help but laugh. “Wha’s so funny?”

“Another day, another nickel.” Anaia wheezed. “That’s too accurate.”

“Tha’s why I said it,” Huki frowned. “It’s nawt tha’ funny.”

“I know it’s not,” Anaia put her hand over her mouth to stop her laughing fit, “but it is.”

“Y’all ain’t makin’ any sense,” Huki fiddled with his hat but he was fighting a faint smile. “Yer gon scare away all the threats with all tha’ racket.”

“That’s the point of a patrol.” Anaia pointed out. “We don’t want _threats_ nearby.”

“If ya wanna take all the fun outta it.” Huki had put on his usual sneer again. “Nothin’ ev’r excitin’ happens out here.”

* * *

Trevor threw Wahi’s remaining seaweed ration into their pen. “There ya go!” He whistled and wiped his hands on his jacket. Wahi’s ears perked up but she stayed where she was sniffing along the coral. Trevor whistled again, drawing out the sound. It seemed to beckon the hippocampi towards them, fluctuating in pitch and frequency. Someone else listening nearby may have even mistaken it for a tune. Trevor’s stomach lurched. Olakino was right; resisting was becoming rather tiring.

* * *

Keiki watched the pair of sirens pass by their hiding spot in the shadows of the reef. They were easy to avoid from all the noise they were making talking and laughing. She followed them for a while and learned how far their supposed territory stretched. She would stay outside the borders for now…watching…waiting.

* * *

The noon patrol and the afternoon patrol sucked all of the life and energy from Huki and Anaia. Now their banter ended in huffs and glares and no laughter was heard. By evening, the two had grown sick of each other and agreed to split up to cover ground…er, water…faster. Anaia had travelled all around the perimeter without meeting anything too exciting, only a stray sea turtle here and there, and it was only towards the very center where Huki was supposed to catch up to her was there something to be concerned about. She heard the high-pitched whines from a mile away or so but only caught glimpse of the hurt dolphin a few meters away from it. It had wedged itself in between two rocks and bore markings of surviving a whale attack. As she approached, the dolphin emitted a low clicking sound, and Anaia swore it was asking for assistance. She held out a shaking hand and moved closer towards its snout…closer…closer…”Whatcha find there?” Huki’s voice startled her and the dolphin flinched back from her jump.

“Don’t do that!” Anaia frowned and tried to steady her breathing. “Look, this dolphin is injured.”

Huki peered at the beast. “Well, would ya look at tha’.” He scoffed. “Whatever will we do?”

“Don’t be so sarcastic,” Anaia chided. “The bites look pretty superficial to me. I wonder if Olakino could be persuaded into coming out and stitching some of the cuts.”

“Ya wan’ to waste his sewin’ stuff on a dolphin?” Huki scratched his head. “I doubt he’ll go for tha’.”

“It’s not wasting!” She protested. “We’d be helping her.”

“And wha’? Wha’ will happ’n when it’s not as fast as the oth’rs and gets ripped to shreds by some oth’r creature? Are whales not allowed to eat now? Wha’ will they do if you continue to save ev’ry meal they try an’ catch?”

“This guy already got away.” By now the dolphin had allowed her to rub its snout. “The whale was unsuccessful.”

“Ya didn’t notice the bull sharks swimmin’ ‘bout?” Huki drew her attention to the distant circling predators a good half mile away. “They know there’s easy food near.”

Anaia huffed. “Well, we’ll make her harder prey to eat.” She rose. “You stay here, and I’ll bring Olakino to suture the wounds.” She handed him her spear that she had carved during their year of absence. “You can shoo away sharks with this.”

“Alrighty.” Huki’s eyes glinted. “We’ll do wha’ we have to do.”

* * *

Ikehu and Nessie had started practicing going through _mawaena_ though it was a steep learning curve. Since Nessie was blind, she had to imagine the locations by emotions, sensations, and intuition while Ikehu was having trouble blocking out the actual vision of where they wanted to go. **Focus on your gut feeling,** Nessie urged, **you’re overthinking things, mo** **stóirín.** But it sounded a lot easier than actually accomplishing that.

* * *

Kanikau wandered over to the hippocampi’s corral and found Trevor sitting dejectedly on a rock. “What did Olakino do now?” She elbowed his back causing him to rise with a grunt.

“Nothing.” He sighed. “Just thinking about things.”

“Can you do it somewhere else?” Kanikau’s mouth slid into a sly grin. “I don’t need bad mojo near Nani and Wahi.”

“You turned Hilahila right?” Trevor cut her off abruptly. After getting confirmation he continued, “Why? Did you just get the urge? Did you just feel like singing? Why did you turn Hilahila?”

Kanikau tapped her chin in thought. “Well, I was all alone,” She hummed, “and needed at the very least _someone_ to start building a pod. I doubted there were many sirens nearby after the war, so turning a stray diver was the easiest thing I could do.”

“It wasn’t impulsive? It wasn’t spur of the moment?” Trevor wringed his hands together.

“Not really,” Kanikau shrugged. “Hey,” She took his hands in her own. “I know we don’t agree on a lot of points, but I want you to live by your morals and not anyone else’s. I’ve found that living only to obey others’ expectations brings only hurt to all parties involved.” She squeezed his hands. “Whatever you’re going through, snap out of it. It’s annoying to pussyfoot around someone moping.”

“Thanks, Kanikau.” Trevor strangely felt a bit better. He even thought that if they had met at different times of their lives, they might have even become friends. “I guess I need to get over myself.”

“I would highly appreciate that.” Kanikau huffed again. “By the way, have you seen any sign of Huhū today?”

“I’ll keep an eye out. Maybe Paakiki has him swimming to Timbuctoo.” Trevor gave a farewell pat to both hippocampi.

“Perhaps.”

* * *

Olakino wasn’t thrilled about his _human_ medical degree being used for veterinary practices, but he guessed it wasn’t really being used for humans anymore anyway. Whatever he thought, he truly had nothing better to do, so he dutifully followed Anaia out to where she last spotted the injured dolphin. As they got closer, they noticed a thicker stream of blood rising from behind a few rocks. “I’m assuming that’s where the dolphin is.”

Anaia grew concerned. “There wasn’t that much blood before.” The two quickened their strokes. The bull sharks were slowly circling closer and closer. “Huki!” Anaia called out. “Is everything okay?”

“All bett’r, doll,” Came the southern reply, though when they rounded the corner, the dolphin was dead with Anaia’s spear sticking out of its side.

“What have you done?” Anaia screeched. “I told you to watch her while I go get help!”

“ _I_ helped it.” Huki insisted. “I put it outta its mis’ry.”

“ _WE COULD HAVE FIXED HER!”_

“Or prolong it,” Huki grasped her spear and pulled it out from its hide. It came out with a disgusting _sloop._ “I gave it the opp’rtunity to go out wit’ dignity. It would happ’n one way o’ anoth’r.”

“You monster,” Anaia spat.

“It’s ranch life, doll,” Huki didn’t seem too bothered by her anger. “Here’s yer spear, ya might need it again.” She snatched it out of his hands and whirled around, not looking back as she returned to the alcoves. “She got a bee in ‘er bonnet.” Huki observed.

“Could it be due to the fact you just killed a defenseless creature?” Olakino asked.

“Are you complaining?” Huki retorted.

“Not exactly,” To be completely honest, Olakino had no opinion, “Just suggesting why she might be upset.”

“Well, she needs to get ov’r it.” Huki said, “It’s the circle o’ life.”

* * *

Paakiki scrutinized the basket she was halfway done weaving. She had weaved some of the shiny rocks into the basket strands, and it was coming along pretty nicely. She rotated it in the waning sunlight and smiled as it glistened. “Looks Mouawad,” She chirped to herself, “Stunning!” A shadow blocked the rays and she turned to see her _kauwa_. “Huhū, move!” She snapped her fingers but Huhū stayed motionless and expressionless in the entrance. “Move! That’s an order!”

Huhū drifted closer, and now Paakiki could see he was fiddling with something in his hands. “I don’t have to listen to you.” His voice was low and monotone.

“Of course, you do,” Paakiki pondered throwing her basket at him to regain his unwavering obedience. But that might ruin her basket she tried so hard to perfect. “Go do something useful for a change.”

Huhū moved a bit closer. This time the object in his hand glinted instead of Paakiki’s shiny stones. “I think I am doing something useful.”

“You’re a waste of space,” Paakiki hissed now holding the basket in between them, “Nothing you do is useful.”

“Kanikau thinks I bring value here.” It was a knife that was twisting around in his hands. The movements were clumsy, but he didn’t drop it.

“Kanikau is a liar,” Paakiki now threw her basket, perfection be damned. “I am the only one who ever tells you the truth.”

“There is no truth,” Huhū said, “Only lies and white lies.”

“Then what are you going to do?” Paakiki egged him on. “What are you going to do after I’m dead? You don’t know a life before me.”

Huhū grasped the pouch tied around his neck that contained all that was left of his sister and his only connection to the above-world. “I only don’t remember my life before you.” He tightened his grip on the dagger’s hilt. “But that doesn’t mean I should stop trying to remember.”

The elder was no match for Huhū since he was a fully grown adult male though many forgot that fact. He shouldn’t have been worried either; as the dagger flashed through the water, muscle memory took over and Paakiki was soon filleted like a fish. The veil of thick fog clouding Huhū’s memories from reemerging lifted, a miniscule piece at least. His sister’s name was Gina, and her favorite toy was a stuffed squid. He did mental gymnastics to try and tear more information from his subconscious, but it was futile. But Paakiki was dead and was freed of his imaginary chains. The coral reef was going to get a special fertilizer tonight.


	12. SIRENS ARE DYING FOR A SPOT IN CARMINA ABYSSI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trevor finally learns the meaning of his nickname while tensions between Koe and Kanikau rise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TERMS  
> Carmina Abyssi | songs of the deep  
> Anima Rapientem | soul snatchers  
> lua wai | water cave  
> moku hau’oli | happy ship  
> māhū pō | night vision  
> ʻenlelo maʻalahi | siren language  
> ʻakaʻaka | fuck  
> moe ʻino ʻoe iā ʻoe | damn you to hell  
> kāʻoki ʻia | dipshit  
> mele loea | song immortals  
> kēnā | siren  
> kahu | guardian  
> kauwa | servant  
> e hele i ka ʻoki! | go to hell serpent!  
> ʻala | bitch  
> he aha ke ano o kēia? | what the hell is this?  
> scum | scum  
> hele pela! | bug off!  
> pīhoihoi | dumbass  
> mawaena | between
> 
> NAMES  
> Kanikau | lament  
> Hilahila | confusion  
> Nani | beaut  
> Ōpala | garbage  
> Huhū | nervous  
> Paakiki | stubborn  
> Ikehu | energy  
> Bale | barley  
> Olakino | health  
> Nahesa | serpent  
> Piha | parrot  
> Gula | gold  
> Keleawe | bronze  
> Koe | remain  
> Keiki | child

## MAKE NO NĀ HAKU 'OLUA NO CARMINA ABYSSI

### " SIRENS ARE DYING FOR A SPOT IN CARMINA ABYSSI"

Huhū’s hands shook as he sorted the small assortment of seeds. A tremor struck as he set the coconut seeds in their place and scattered them across the rocks. “Careful,” Kanikau snapped and snatched the seeds before he could do any more damage, “These will be great for trading the next time we travel to the market.”

“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to,” Huhū stammered.

“You’re not in trouble,” Kanikau’s voice was harsh but that was just her regular voice, “but you have to pull yourself together. Olakino said this trembling isn’t related to your wrist, so you need to _stop._ ”

“I wish I could,” Huhū’s voice was almost inaudible, “I just feel so…anxious…all the time. Like something bad is going to happen but I don’t know what.”

“Get a grip on it,” Kanikau wasn’t very empathetic. “Paakiki’s dead; she’s gone forever. No matter what, you can’t bring her back, so you have to focus on what’s happening _now._ ” Huhū only nodded. It sounded easy but was extremely more difficult in practice.

* * *

Koe pulled Piha to the side as the daily patrols made their rounds. As scouts, they had a lot more free-time than the other sirens since they weren’t actively searching for new sirens to join their pod. Naturally sirens are more isolated and independent creatures. The recent deaths and scuffles proved that to be true. “You’re one of the newer members, right?” Koe asked and received a nod in return. “What do you think of everyone? What do you think of Kanikau?”

“They’re…interesting?” Piha rubbed his temples. “I don’t have any other words to describe them.”

“What about Kanikau?” Koe repeated. “What do you think about her?”

Piha backed up a hair. “I haven’t had the chance to interact with her much. I’ve been spending most of my time pretending I’m back in the above-world and not here.”

“Good,” Koe huffed, “Stay away from that murderer. She’s a right, proper _ʻala_.”

“I could see how she could be a bad person.” Piha shrugged. “Most of them are down here. It seems as if the siren curse skewed our morals and made our flaws more prominent.”

“Speak for yourself,” Koe rolled her eyes, “I’m the kindest siren you’ll ever meet.”

“And a braggart it seems,” Piha shrugged. “I’m sure in time you’ll find something unsavory about me.”

“I already have,” Koe crossed her arms.

“Point taken,” Piha sighed. “You know Huhū seems pretty nice and quiet, maybe you could go bother him when he returns.”

“I’d never associate with a former mele loea _kauwa_ that outright murdered their _kahu_.” Koe said. “As a former mele loea member myself, I will never acknowledge his existence. _Kahus_ should be respected and revered for how they care for their _kauwa_.”

“I’m not pretending to know your experience with the mele loea, whatever the hell that is, but I only knew Paakiki for one year, and I would have stabbed her too.” Piha said. “She was unbearable.”

* * *

Anaia kept her distance from Huki after the dolphin incident. If Huki cared or even noticed, he didn’t show it. He was as unflappable as always. Now that left a bad taste in Anaia’s mouth rather than allowing her to brush his “quirks” off as just that: quirks. It was strange how often she had to stop herself from slapping his shoulder and telling him how stupid he was being. It shouldn’t have been much of a surprise, she guessed. He had always been flippant for the wildlife, and really anything that wasn’t himself, but seeing him nonchalantly hovering over the corpse really hit that fact home. Huki was not to be trusted around animals.

* * *

Trevor tossed a baleful of seaweed and kelp into the hippocampus enclosure. While either hippocampus could swim away at any time, they preferred to be kept in a deeper section of water underneath a nearby overhang. Olakino was leaning on the edge of the makeshift fence they had constructed with driftwood. “Yours is the little one, right?” Olakino plucked a piece of seaweed from the bale and munched on it. “Wahi? What’s Wahi mean?”

“Spot,” Trevor patted her flank. “Her twin lives in Mekhanikos. Fraternal though, they aren’t identical. The other is a mare named Laqueus.”

“Hm,” Olakino finished his snack. “Latin?”

“Ackerley said it was a Latin root of the French root for lace.” Trevor explained. “More accurately, lace as in ensnare, so it could also mean noose.”

“Okay then,” Olakino narrowed his eyes. “I thought you mentioned Mekhanikos were friendly.”

“They are!” Trevor protested. “Just pretend it’s just lace.”

“Hey, Ōpala!” Kanikau interrupted their conversation, “Are you going to pet the hippocampi all day or are you going to actually be useful and hunt for more food?”

Olakino burst out in a fit of giggles. “Ōpala?” He wheezed. “That’s what she calls you?”

“It’s an endearing nickname,” Trevor defended the name he had never gotten the courage to ask what it meant. “Just because you aren’t close enough to Kanikau to have a nickname, doesn’t mean you should make fun of mine.”

“Don’t worry,” Olakino wiped tears from his eyes, “I’m not jealous at all. I didn’t know you would be so defensive about being called _garbage._ ”

* * *

Anaia broke the “no engaging” rule with Huki on the afternoon patrol around the territory. She grasped Huki’s arm, albeit a bit aggressively, and gasped. “Look,” She hissed, “When the sunlight dances across those boulders, don’t you see a glint of eyes?”

“Anoth’r dolphin, perhaps?” Huki followed where her finger was pointing. “Unless…that’s also a _māhū pō_ to go with it?”

“Exactly,” Anaia whispered, “We should go check it out.”

“Should we?” Huki cracked his neck. “Do we need anoth’r siren? You know how well joinin’ this pod went for Hilahila, Bale, and Paakiki.”

A shadow dashed across the rocks heading for a darker shadow. “It’s a child, Huki, she can’t be left on her own!”

* * *

Olakino rapped his knuckles on the outside of Piha’s alcove. He entered when Piha called him in and was surprised to see Trevor joining him as well. Piha appeared to be continuing the murals of animals on the walls and Trevor seemed to be…drenching his hair with the dye being used at paint. He decided to ignore that for now. “Your hand,” Olakino held his hand out for Piha to rest his left hand, or lack thereof, in his palm. After a quick examination Olakino let it fall back naturally. “It looks completely healed; it must have been a really old injury or congenital defect. The pains you feel occasionally are only phantom pains and are completely normal.” Olakino stated. “No need to worry. Also,” He now turned to Trevor, “I’m no hairdresser, but that stuff with dry out your hair and make it flaky.”

“Good thing we’re underwater then,” Trevor continued reapplying hot pink dye to his hair. “If you’re so picky, how do you keep your hair that dark pink?”

Olakino shrugged, “It’s natural, I guess. It’s always been like this since I’ve been a siren at least.”

Trevor puffed out his cheeks, “That’s not fair,” He muttered to himself.

“Enjoy your painting, Piha,” Olakino said, “See you later, Ōpala.”

* * *

Keiki reached out for Anaia’s outstretched hand and grasped a half of an apple. She hurriedly took a big bite, almost choking by not chewing thoroughly. Her stomach grumbled in response and she quickly finished the fruit. “Hungry, were ya?” A male voice came from behind the female. Keiki nodded and held out her hands requesting more.

“I don’t think I have anything else…” Anaia patted her pockets and looked to Huki pointedly.

“Well, I reckon ya can hav’ this orange,” Huki offered it to Keiki begrudgingly. “I suppose yer needin’ this more than me.”

Keiki quickly peeled the orange and scarfed it down as well, juices running down her chin and fingers. “You’re the greatest siren ever!” She squealed and hugged him, sticky hands and all. “Do you have more oranges?”

Huki froze as the small child trapped him in an embrace. Anaia had to stuff her fist in her mouth to keep from laughing. “Why……let me go.” He said gruffly. The child eventually did but not after getting his cowboy vest citrusy.

* * *

“What are we supposed to do with a _child?_ ” Kanikau asked. “This is no place for a child.”

“You had no problem killing children before,” Koe muttered.

“Why don’t you go back to your coral reef bed and keep pretending we don’t exist.” Kanikau rolled her eyes.

“Just saying… _’ala._ ” Koe crossed her arms. “I’m making the others know about your track record with others.”

“I’m sure they’ve figured out I’m not a good person already,” Kanikau said, “There’s plenty of evidence of that.”

“We can’t just send a little girl back into the open ocean,” Ikehu said, “I’m a good babysitter, trust me.” 

“No offense but I wouldn’t trust ya watchin’ a dead fish,” Huki said.

“ _You_ convinced her to come,” Piha said, “Huki, maybe you should babysit first.”

“Do you _want_ the child to hate their life?” Anaia laughed sarcastically. “Huki should not be in charge of anything.”

“I want to make it clear that I do _not_ want a tiny shadow screwing everything I’m doing,” Olakino said. “Keep her away from me.”

“I can too babysit!” Ikehu protested. “I’m very responsible.”

“Let Ikehu and I look after her.” Trevor suggested. “We can teach her how to hunt.”

“Taking a _child_ out to watching hunting sounds like a wonderful idea.” Anaia muttered.

“It is,” Kanikau decided, “She may be young but has to learn to be useful sometime.”


	13. A DIFFICULT YEAR

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anaia and Huki get attacked on patrol.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TERMS  
> Carmina Abyssi | songs of the deep  
> Anima Rapientem | soul snatchers  
> lua wai | water cave  
> moku hau’oli | happy ship  
> māhū pō | night vision  
> ʻenlelo maʻalahi | siren language  
> ʻakaʻaka | fuck  
> moe ʻino ʻoe iā ʻoe | damn you to hell  
> kāʻoki ʻia | dipshit  
> mele loea | song immortals  
> kēnā | siren  
> kahu | guardian  
> kauwa | servant  
> e hele i ka ʻoki! | go to hell serpent!  
> ʻala | bitch  
> he aha ke ano o kēia? | what the hell is this?  
> scum | scum  
> hele pela! | bug off!  
> pīhoihoi | dumbass  
> mawaena | between
> 
> NAMES  
> Kanikau | lament  
> Hilahila | confusion  
> Nani | beaut  
> Ōpala | garbage  
> Huhū | nervous  
> Paakiki | stubborn  
> Ikehu | energy  
> Bale | barley  
> Olakino | health  
> Nahesa | serpent  
> Piha | parrot  
> Gula | gold  
> Keleawe | bronze  
> Koe | remain  
> Keiki | child  
> Leoū | roan  
> Polū | blue

## KAHI MAKAHIKI PA'AKIKĪ

### " A DIFFICULT YEAR "

Huki and Anaia were once again patrolling the seas together. Now Huki was starting to somewhat notice that Anaia wasn’t as open and friendly as she once was, but he wasn’t terribly bothered. Sure, he (kind of) missed their comfortable banter, but he’d been isolated before and was fine. Sirens aren’t social creatures after all. Their fire-lizards kept pace with them above water and sometimes dove in and out of the waves quickly. Anaia was getting better at sensing what Keleawe was feeling and not startling as much when he spoke to her. Usually when she was feeling anxious or excited for no reason, it was Keleawe. Their playful chirps quieted and a knot in her chest formed. “What is it?” She asked her fire-lizard.

“Wha’s wha’?” Huki glanced at her. He didn’t particularly care for Gula’s thoughts and emotions and ignored most of them.

“I’m not talking to you,” Anaia snapped and shut her eyes. It helped her listen to Keleawe better.

 ** _Something scary is headed our way,_** came his reply.

“Like what?”

**_I’m not sure. I know about land creatures, not about underwater monsters._ **

_That wasn’t very reassuring,_ she thought.

 ** _It’s true,_** Keleawe argued, **_the other fire-lizards only talk about land stuff and want to know boring information about you guys._**

“What kind of information?” But Keleawe never answered because a giant sea otter, very angry she might add, thought that they had wandered to close to her babies and attacked.

* * *

There! It was the turtle man that left the packages of food stomping around in the coral reef again! “Oi!” Kanikau shook her fist in his direction. “Come and face me, coward!” The man just shook his head with an amused expression. He scribbled something down on a clipboard that Kanikau swore he didn’t have a moment ago. When he was done, the two stared at each other. Eventually he jerked his head to the right. Kanikau sighed but followed his gesture. A blue roan hippocampus stallion was chasing around a small school of minnows. She clicked her tongue and the stallion weaved towards her, nickering and offering its velvet nose to her hand. “Alright, we have a third hippocampus.” She muttered. _Did Turtle Man know I was hoping to find a stallion to breed Wahi with?_ Almost as if he understood her thoughts, he got her attention and pointed to the sand where the fire-lizards nested at night. Another egg was nestled among the sand and driftwood. By the time Kanikau looked back, Turtle Man had vanished. Kanikau quickly made sure the egg was warm (in between ducking back underwater to breathe), called the hippocampus over, and brought him to his new home.

* * *

Gula and Keleawe scattered and shot up in the air. The giant sea otter lunged between the two warriors and separated them in her wake. She dodged Anaia’s wild swing from her spear, all of her fencing knowledge disappearing. Instead the otter easily snapped the spear in half, all of her daily carvings turned into useless splinters. The otter twisted through the water and used her jagged teeth to tear through Huki’s bound legs. Now the scar tissue stretched apart to still connect his legs, but the split was bleeding heavily and Huki sunk down to the rocky cliffs in a daze. Anaia turned to face the otter preparing for a painful death. “It’s alright,” She tried to soothe the mother despite her shaking voice, “We aren’t going to hurt you.” Anaia held up her hands in a surrendering position, but otters know no mercy nor morals. The otter darted after Anaia who hunched and threw herself sideways. Luckily, her unpredictable movements took her out of its direct path and her back was chomped on, not her chest and neck. “We won’t hurt you!” Anaia sobbed again, clutching at her wound. When she pulled her hands away, they brought a cloud of fresh blood with them.

“I hav’ta do ev’rythin’ myself,” A faint voice spat. Huki had miraculously pushed through what Anaia figured was immense pain and was glaring at their attacker while holding a substantially sized sharp stone. “ _Wha’ kind o’ a warrior are ya if ya won’t ev’n fight?_ ” Huki repeated what he had told Anaia years before as he struck the otter in the eye with his makeshift weapon. The otter snapped at his hands and arms but was no match for the enraged siren. He stoned the otter to death and was now in the danger of bleeding out. Anaia uncovered her eyes and avoided looking at the bloody corpse making its way to the ocean floor to be an easy meal for some bottom feeders. She grasped Huki’s arms, leaving bloody handprints behind.

“Let’s get you back to Olakino,” She stammered. She was having trouble forming thoughts but knew if she fumbled now, they were both goners. She started to pull Huki back to camp, who was growing pale with shock and blood loss. A tiny otter pup swam around her mother’s corpse for a few moments and decided to follow her mother’s killers. The sirens didn’t notice their new shadow at first, but Trevor was especially keen on keeping her.

“Aurunci,” Trevor patted the otter’s head. “That’s your name, little miss.”

While Olakino (along with the help of Kanikau, Huhū, and Ikehu) rushed around to get his supplies ready for Huki and Anaia, Huki regained consciousness for enough time to readjust his Stenson. “A chunk’s missin’.” He muttered and fell back into an uneasy daze.

* * *

Piha was bored of lazing around camp, cleaning up after the others, and there was only so much painting someone can handle for days on end. After making sure Anaia and Huki were still alive, he stopped Huhū and Kanikau before they went out on their daily gathering patrol and offered to come along. “You’re only a scout,” Kanikau crossed her arms, “and how are you even going to gather anything with only one hand?”

“I gathered for years with a broken wrist,” Huhū pointed out. It was strange to hear him speak up more often now that Paakiki wasn’t around. “He’ll be fine to come and hang out.” Kanikau thought for a moment before relenting. Piha figured Huhū might be the only person that could persuade her except maybe Trevor in certain situations. Piha didn’t mind; he was excited to explore abyssi territory more!

* * *

Turns out swimming around gathering up potential food items was more exercise than Piha bargained for. He inwardly groaned; he didn’t want the others to know how much he was regretting his decision and wished for a second to rest. He glanced at Huhū and Kanikau. They were expertly stripping a long piece of seaweed of its edible parts. Piha absentmindedly pulled a piece of darker seaweed up and inspected it. It didn’t look like the seaweed they were used to feeding Nani and Wahi; parts of it were crunchy and tinted brown. Thinking it was a new strain of veggie, Piha took a cautious bite. In a split second, Huhū had appeared by his side and smacked the remaining seaweed from his hand. “Do you want to die?” The siren hissed. Piha choked down the seaweed clump in shock and shook his head. “Don’t go eating things willy-nilly. Assume everything is poisonous if you don’t know what it is.”

“It’s just seaweed.” Piha stammered.

“ _Rotten_ seaweed,” Kanikau corrected, “did you not notice the disgusting color? The rotting smell?”

Piha shrugged. “I thought it was a different kind of seaweed.”

Kanikau rubbed her temples and sighed. “Let’s get you back to Olakino. I doubt it’ll be fatal, but you might have a rough few months.”

“ _MONTHS?_ ”

“At the very least,” Kanikau explained, “Haven’t you ever noticed you don’t have the need to…er…. _relieve_ yourself down here? Sirens’ bodies digest every single piece of food we ingest. Since sirens are naturally solitary creatures, it allows us to require less food, thus less hunting. So, that piece of seaweed you stupidly ate will take _months_ to break down. Olakino can probably estimate the amount of time more accurately.”

Piha clutched his abdomen as a cramp ran through him. Was the food poisoning setting in this quickly or was it just in his head? It didn’t really matter anyway; he would be feeling his poor decision for a while.

* * *

“Oh yeah,” Olakino casually chewed a small root of kelp as he spoke. Huki had discovered kelp roots were the closest they could ever get to chewing gum, and in his case chewing tobacco. Olakino may or may not have taken Huki’s stash after he was stabilized. “That’s not good.”

“Is Piha going to die?” Trevor was chilling in the back of Olakino’s alcove for some reason.

“Of course not,” The kelp root snapped as Olakino bit down, “Just a year or two of indigestion. You probably will not have a fun time.”

“ _Years?_ ” Piha sputtered. He thought it was bad when Kanikau suggested _months_ of time being sick.

“Oh yeah,” Olakino shrugged, “Lesson one: don’t be stupid underwater.”

“Lesson two,” Trevor piped up from his spot, “Life sucks.”

“No, Ōpala, lesson two is _don’t eat anything you aren’t 100% certain it won’t kill you._ ”

* * *

“I feel bad for Piha,” Trevor said as the gathering patrol left the medical alcove, “The poor chap gets too excited on his first patrol then gets stuck with food poisoning.”

“He’s lucky he’s alive with how much common sense he seems to be lacking,” Olakino muttered, “I have no patience for fools.”

“I’m sure you’ve made a mistake or two in your life,” Trevor dismissed him with a hand.

Olakino didn’t respond. Instead he wiped off each of his medical equipment (tools found here and there that they made do with) and Trevor watched in comfortable silence. As the last pair of bandage scissors (which were two extremely sharpened metal bits tied together) were as sterilized as they were going to get, Olakino continued to fuss with the instruments with his eyes firmly in front of him. “Why do you bother dying your hair if it’s naturally black?” He asked Trevor trying to seem almost uninterested.

“First of all, it’s actually a very dark brown,” Trevor laughed at the hint of annoyance that crossed Olakino’s face. “But, a long time ago, I befriended an otter that couldn’t see very well. I started dying my hair with anything I could find that was bright and stood out from the dreariness of the sea. When she…died…my hair was bright pink, so I just kept it pink since then.”

“And that’s why you wanted Aurunci so badly?”

“Yes, her name was Ausonia, which was the ship we were deployed on when…well, you know.” Trevor ran a hand through his hair. He didn’t discuss personal details very often. “And Ausonia was a town in Italy, and Aurunci is what the Romans called the early Italian people of the area.”

“Well, I reckon you deserve her,” Olakino looked at Trevor with a soft smile, “You do seem to have a way with animals.”

“Maybe I’m better with animals than people,” Trevor sighed recounting all of the times he was snapped at down here.

“I don’t think that’s true.” Olakino was back to fiddling with his things but a slight smile still tugged at the corner of his mouth.

* * *

It had been six months since the giant sea otter attack and both Huki and Anaia were healing up slowly. Anaia had a gnarly bite scar over her right shoulder, and Huki was permanently hindered by his torn legs. He was slower and less aerodynamic, though he wouldn’t ever admit to it. The summer was nearing to the end, and the sirens excitedly waited for their new fire-lizard egg to hatch. Leoū, the new stallion, had already taken a liking to Wahi, and both Kanikau and Trevor were ready to start raising hippocampus foals. Trevor had also introduced Aurunci to the many cats of Cyrrane and thought he found a possible mate as well. How _that’s_ possible, well…it’s better to not ask questions.

Gula and Keleawe were getting restless though Anaia didn’t think it was due to the new egg. Keleawe wouldn’t ever really explained his change in mood; only mentioned he was thirstier than usual. Anaia spent most of her days sunning in the shallowest parts talking to Keleawe about the nuances of the sea. She was starting to get the hang of their weird telepathy ability and enjoyed being able to stay underwater and still communicate.

Dusk was settling over the ocean when Anaia was starting to feel as restless as Keleawe. “What’s wrong?” She was not in the mood for another attack.

**_Where’s Gula?_ **

“I have no idea,” Anaia rolled to her side trying to get more comfortable, “Can’t you just ask her?”

**_She’s not in the mindset to listen._ **

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

**_It’s time for me to catch her._ **

“What’s _THAT_ supposed to mean?”

 ** _S_** ** _he’s going to have her first clutch._** Now, Anaia thought she was getting a general grasp of the situation. That man from Black Rock Weyrhold, Bansendon, had mentioned clutches when they were trading for the eggs. A clutch was a bunch of eggs if she wasn’t mistaken. _So…Gula and Keleawe were going to…mate?_

**_Correct._ **

* * *

When Gula appeared (along with Huki trailing behind) and started teasing Keleawe, Anaia was very glad that it was becoming night. The less witnesses to whatever what was going to happen, the better in her opinion and she figured Huki would whole-heartedly agree with that sentiment. However, the chirps and snarls of their seducing flight drew the rest of the pod to discover the source of the loud noises. Huki situated himself carefully on a rock a good few meters from Anaia. His battered hat was pulled over the top half of his face and he pretended he was only resting, but his fidgeting fingers told a much different story. “Is this what you would do once you find a nice male dragon?” Ikehu had not mastered the art of just _thinking inside her head_ and still required to actually speak to discuss events with Nessie. “She said it’s sort of like fire-lizards mating.” Ikehu explained to the others. “It’s more intense for dragons.” Suddenly, Anaia was very glad that she was only bonded to a fire-lizard. A high-pitched cry in the air drew all of the eyes to the skies to watch the dance-like flight happening above.

Both fire-lizard handlers knew the moment when Keleawe finally caught up to Gula. Anaia and Huki locked eyes. Her heart fluttered in her chest; she thought it might be a heart attack. “I feel like I’m dyin’.” Huki sounded legitimately concerned.

“I think that’s called attraction,” Olakino said, “You wouldn’t know since you were turned too young.”

“Well, I’d rather die.” Anaia crossed her arms. The new anger inside of her trampled any other alien emotions. “I hope all of the fire-lizards bond to me and you guys can go to hell.”

* * *

After experiencing what happens to fire-lizard handlers when they breed, the other sirens were less eager to attend the hatching. Gula and Keleawe’s clutch was resting further back in the sand and the older egg had been moved closer to the water’s edge for optimal bonding proximity. Trevor was shoved to the back as he “already had Wahi and Aurunci” and didn’t need another pet. Ikehu was watching from a distance; she was curious but also wanted to give the others a chance. Kanikau and Koe shoved each other, fighting for the front position. Kanikau was the unlucky one, however, as Koe triumphantly shouted as the little blue fire-lizard told her his name: Polū.

* * *

“Howdy,” Huki poked Anaia’s bite mark which caused her to flinch. “Yer upset wit’ me. Why?”

Anaia grimaced. He was in her safe space in the shallows watching over the new fire-lizard clutch, and she didn’t appreciate seeing him. “I always wrote off your cold personality as just that: a personality. Now I see that you are a very uncaring sociopathic siren with little to no empathy for anyone but yourself.”

Huki stared at her with maybe a hurt expression? Or perhaps it was distain. “Oh, well,” He finally relented, “I can’t please ev’ryone.”


	14. WHAT KIND OF WARRIOR ARE YOU?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anaia comes to a breaking point.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- alcoholism -  
> \- traumatic injuries -  
> \- gore and death -
> 
> TERMS  
> Carmina Abyssi | songs of the deep  
> Anima Rapientem | soul snatchers  
> lua wai | water cave  
> moku hau’oli | happy ship  
> māhū pō | night vision  
> ʻenlelo maʻalahi | siren language  
> ʻakaʻaka | fuck  
> moe ʻino ʻoe iā ʻoe | damn you to hell  
> kāʻoki ʻia | dipshit  
> mele loea | song immortals  
> kēnā | siren  
> kahu | guardian  
> kauwa | servant  
> e hele i ka ʻoki! | go to hell serpent!  
> ʻala | bitch  
> he aha ke ano o kēia? | what the hell is this?  
> scum | scum  
> hele pela! | bug off!  
> pīhoihoi | dumbass  
> mawaena | between
> 
> NAMES  
> Kanikau | lament  
> Hilahila | confusion  
> Nani | beaut  
> Ōpala | garbage  
> Huhū | nervous  
> Paakiki | stubborn  
> Ikehu | energy  
> Bale | barley  
> Olakino | health  
> Nahesa | serpent  
> Piha | parrot  
> Gula | gold  
> Keleawe | bronze  
> Koe | remain  
> Keiki | child  
> Leoū | roan  
> Polū | blue  
> Aukā | fleck

## HE 'ANO KOA PAHA 'OE?

### " WHAT KIND OF WARRIOR ARE YOU? "

“I’m confused,” Koe stroked the two new otter pups’ heads. “You’re saying Aurunci bred with a _cat?_ ”

“Well, a half-wildcat,” Trevor corrected, “Look, I don’t particularly understand it either, but we also drown people and eat them so it’s not the strangest thing I’ve ever seen.”

Ikehu squealed as one of the pups dove farther down to swim through her curtain of hair. “THEY’RE. SO. CUTE! What’s their names?”

“The girl is Trieste after one of the largest Italian sea ports. The boy is Tergeste which is the original roman title the port first had.” Trevor explained. “They’re all mine.”

“You can’t hoard all the otters,” Koe whined, “They roam around; they don’t belong to anyone.”

“Well, they’re mine, too bad.” Trevor pulled the pups close to him and they nuzzled him. “I am their mother, see?”

“I think Aurunci would like to have some words with you about that,” It was true, the new otter mother was circling the sirens keeping a close eye on her babies. “Also, she gave birth to _two cats_. How does this happen?” Koe closed her eyes trying to figure out simon’s, whoops, she means the gods’, rules over animal cross breeding.

“It doesn’t matter,” Ikehu assured her with a calming pat of her hand, “they have loving homes in Cyrrane where there’s already an overpopulation of cats there. They’ll have friends!”

“Hush, I think Nani and Wahi are coming over to say hello to them.” Trevor shushed the ladies rather rudely. He was becoming quite protective like a new mother would.

Along with Nani and the other hippocampi came Kanikau much to Koe’s dismay. “Have fun with your new children, Trevor,” Koe sneered at the approaching captain, “The reigning ‘ _ala_ is here, and I don’t want to deal with her.”

“No one is forcing you to stay here,” Kanikau was close enough to hear their exchange. “Just leave if you don’t like me.”

“Well, since I bother you just as much, I prefer staying close,” Koe narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms, “And I can’t wait to watch you die, however and whenever that happens.”

* * *

Now that Anaia was spending less time with Huki (it was almost scary how much time the two had spent together), she had taken up a role as groomer and carer for all of Abyssi’s animals which had recently risen a significant amount. Trevor had been preoccupied with his new children, or otters as the rest of them deemed. That left Anaia caring for Wahi along with her new foal, Aukā. This also meant that she was spending more time with Kanikau, handler of Nani and Leoū, as well. Anaia had learned to steer clear of the snippy captain, but they both loved their animals each in their own way.

Anaia noticed that Kanikau rewarded Nani with praise (and the occasional treat) after she had completed a task or trick very well leading the hippocampus to have a strong desire to please. Anaia’s way of bonding with her charges was more loyalty based as she wanted the hippocampi to want to be around her which eventually led to them taking direction from her easier.

Now Anaia wasn’t a psychologist in any way, shape, or form, (hell, she originally wanted to be a veterinarian and stay away from humans) but she couldn’t help becoming a backseat psychologist. Kanikau rewarded for obeying commands but turned a blind eye to the hippocampi showing affection towards the siren like she couldn’t even imagine another being wanting anything other than treats. Did she not believe she was worthy for the unconditional love that animals could bring or was that even a conscious thought? Surely being rejected by the folk she considered her actual family had screwed with Kanikau’s mind, but Anaia didn’t know to what extent was a conscious act. It must be easier to assume everyone dislikes you than to get your hopes crushed every time.

* * *

“What is this?” Kanikau and Anaia returned from their noon chores to find Huhū writing words on one of the rocky cliffs with Hilahila’s leftover paint. “What does that even say?”

“’Seaweed Seminar’ apparently,” Anaia read, “Is this mandatory?”

“If everyone keeps poisoning themselves with seaweed, yes it is,” Huhū said without turning away from his scribbling. Now it seemed that he was drawing different species of seaweed on the wall. It was a little hard to decipher his handwriting as his (mostly) fixed wrist was still stiff. Piha blushed sheepishly from his quiet spot by Olakino’s medic alcove. His stomach was still upset from the bite of rotten seaweed he ingested. Trevor waved Anaia and Kanikau over to where he and Olakino had situated themselves. If Anaia wasn’t just seeing things, she could have sworn they were holding hands.

“Isn’t it wonderful seeing Huhū actually speak and take charge?” Trevor said, “I didn’t think he could speak _ʻenlelo maʻalahi_ for like two years.”

“Truly wonderful,” Kanikau said sarcastically, “but I don’t appreciate being lectured like a baby.”

“Well, I don’t want to treat sirens for simple indigestion,” Olakino huffed, “and we can’t let the child poison herself.”

“It’s natural selection,” Kanikau argued.

“ _No_ , keeping children alive is not natural selection,” Trevor waggled a finger, “Natural selection is teaching children…”

“Or adults,” Olakino added.

“…or adults,” Trevor paused for a dramatic effect, “and they refuse to listen and avoid dangerous items.”

“Maybe Koe can eat some seaweed and die,” Kanikau smirked, “and die slowly.”

“Why do you hate her so much?” Anaia asked. She had some guesses but wanted to see what Kanikau would voice.

“She hates _me_ ,” Kanikau shrugged, “and it’s fun to have an enemy near. It keeps things exciting.”

“You say the most worrying things sometimes,” Trevor playfully shoved her shoulder. She forcefully shoved him back. “I just can’t wait to bond to my own fire-lizard.” He looked to Anaia. “I want to communicate telepathically; that seems so cool.”

“It’s jarring at first.” Anaia said. “And it can get annoying _when Keleawe won’t stop complaining about being hungry._ ”

**_You said you liked it when I talked to you._ **

_J_ _ust kidding,_ she assured her fire-lizard with a small laugh.

“I can’t believe a fire-lizard chose Koe over me,” Kanikau was back to complaining about Koe. “As far as I’m concerned, Polū is a traitor to all sirens.”

“That’s a little harsh,” Trevor said.

“I don’t understand all this hype around fire-lizards. They can’t even live underwater.” Olakino said. “Too many people down here talk to me already. I don’t need to be bothered any more than I already am.”

“It’s like having a friend available for advice any time of day,” Anaia smiled thinking about Keleawe. He enjoyed telling her about his findings in the above-world and she sang him to sleep if he was having nightmares.

“EXCUSE ME!” Huhū slapped a staff on the rocks a couple times to get the gossipers attention. “WE’RE LEARNING HERE IF YOU CARE TO LISTEN!”

“I liked him better when he was quiet,” Olakino muttered.

“Did I say he could use one of my staffs?” Kanikau snorted. “How rude.”

* * *

Keiki found the Seaweed Seminar very helpful. She swiped the remnants of the paint Huhū used for his demonstration and spent the remainder of his talk painting pretty swirls over her body. “Why’re ya makin’ a mess?” The southern drawl that invited her into the pod made her jump. She glanced at Huhū but thankfully he hadn’t noticed.

“I’m draaaawing,” She stuck out her arms to show her masterpiece.

“It looks dumb.” Keiki held back tears. Maybe he wasn’t the greatest siren ever like she first thought.

* * *

Ikehu stared at Koe, her black hair flowing gracefully behind her. Her turquoise eyes almost matched the color of the water sparkling atop the coral reefs. She sighed, _Koe is so pretty._

**Tell her.**

“I can’t.” Ikehu protested. “But I wish you could see just how pretty she is. Too bad you’re blind.”

**It is unfortunate. You should tell her how pretty she is.**

“I _can’t_.” Ikehu put her head in her hands. “I’m _nervous_. What if she laughs at me?”

**Everyone loves compliments.**

“I’m still nervous.”

**I just told Polū to tell her.**

“YOU DID _WHAT?_ ”

**Oh, he said she’s coming over here.**

“ _NESSIE, WHY_?”

**You’re welcome.**

* * *

Anaia waited patiently through Huhū’s presentation. She was _a bit_ bored as it was basically just common sense, but the others had proved that common sense wasn’t so common down in the ocean. “I really liked the visuals,” She told Huhū as he approached after his seminar. “It really helped me…uh…visualize everything.”

“Thanks,” He didn’t seem to pick up her awkward vibes, “I wasn’t that nervous talking in front of everyone like I thought I’d be.”

“I said it’d be fine,” Kanikau snapped, “You have to have more confidence, Huhū.”

“I’m trying,” He assured her, “I really am.”

* * *

“You think I’m pretty?” An amused Koe loomed over Ikehu who was crouched with her head buried into her knees. “And you made my fire-lizard tell me?”

“I didn’t make Polū tell you!” Ikehu’s cries of protest were dampened by her hair. “Nessie was being _nosy_ and decided to go and ruin my life.”

“Ruin your life?” Koe kept herself from laughing at her. “I was going to thank you for the compliment but if you think I’ll ruin your life then I won’t.”

“No, no, no,” Ikehu backpedaled, “You can thank me.”

“ _Ooo_ kay,” Koe said, “Thank you for thinking I’m pretty. If you were to ask me, you’re not bad yourself.”

“I’m gay.” Ikehu blurted out.

“Cool, me too.” Koe allowed herself to laugh. Ikehu was _not_ very good at flirting. “Are you trying to ask me on a date?”

“Maybe.”

“Okay.”

* * *

The following months were pretty uneventful; Ikehu managed to talk to Koe without hiding her face, and Anaia had discovered that hanging out with Kanikau and Huhū was surprisingly bearable. Without a certain old hag, Huhū was outspoken and had a dry sense of humor, and away from the large pod, Kanikau showed her more vulnerable side where Anaia discovered she did have a heart.

Anaia felt like she had found her place down in this cursed ocean. She spent more time with the sweet hippocampi, the fire-lizards at the surface, and even Trevor’s otters.

* * *

What do you with a fire-lizard underwater? What can they do; they can’t breathe in water? Four years of bonding and plenty of annoyances, has earned Huki relentless telepathy! He can’t go _mawaena_ yet, ‘cause he only has a ‘lizard, and the ocean is a big scary place. But somehow he can’t shake, the feeling he might make, a difference in the siren pod!

* * *

“Seriously,” Huki argued with seemingly no one. To the untrained eye, he looked insane but in reality, he was shouting at his bonded golden fire-lizard, Gula. Like Ikehu, he wasn’t the greatest at keeping his words in his head for Gula to read. “If you tell me about those weird kittens one more time…” He let the threat dangle.

 ** _But the kittens look really weird,_** Gula protested, **_their pelts are thicker and seem to repel water._**

“I. DON’T. CARE.” Huki wished he could rise up to the surface of the water to give Gula a better piece of his mind, but his newly ripped legs…?...tail…? prohibited any fast movements.

**_You’ve been in a rotten mood lately. Is it because nobody likes you anymore?_ **

“Did they ever like me?” Huki muttered. “Does it even matter? Being friends with someone isn’t going to stop the inevitable.”

* * *

“Ikehu…” Koe brush a long strand of her causal-dating-only-friend’s hair behind her shoulder. Ikehu leaned in for a kiss but was gently stopped by a soft hand. “You know what we talked about a couple weeks ago?”

“I haven’t had a drink in like…forever,” Ikehu protested but kept her eyes trailing a stream of bubbles.

“And how long is forever?” Koe said, “You tasted like cheap wine a few nights ago. I know you can’t become sober overnight and I don’t expect you too, but this is becoming an unhealthy habit. I don’t want to see you buzzed and just lazing around.”

Ikehu’s mood quickly shifted. “I’m not my father, Koe. It just…enhances my free time.” She fidgeted. “It’s not unhealthy or anything like that.”

“When Polū tells me how often you’ve been trading little sucken treasures for BRW’s cheap wine, it’s hard to believe that’s true.” Koe clasped her hands tightly in her lap. “I don’t want you to feel like I’m abandoning you because I’m not. It’s just I cannot be your girlfriend if I have to be your mother as well. I’m not Norman Bates.”

“So…we’re done?” Ikehu held back tears.

“At this point, yes,” Koe wasn’t blind; she wiped away a tear that had escaped from Ikehu’s tear ducts. She didn’t know how it was possible to cry underwater. “We’ll both work on ourselves first, okay? I’ll work on my deep-seated loathing towards Kanikau and you’ll work on becoming sober.”

Ikehu chuckled nervously. She knew Koe would never be close to forgiving Kanikau or even coming to terms with the contexts. And she also knew that she had a problem that was starting to spiral out of control. “I won’t even look in _any_ alcohol’s direction,” She used to hate that lie that her father always said. He would be rubbing his temples and dry heaving after a rough night of binge drinking. But she wasn’t as dumb as he thought she was; she knew he would be back to the bottle that very same night, and now she understood how easy it is to fall back into long-time habits. “I’ll change,” She had a feeling Koe knew that was a lie as well, but she was kind enough to not point it out.

* * *

Huhū, Kanikau, and Nani were still in charge of little Keiki. They kept a closer eye on her after she almost made the same mistake as Piha, and Kanikau was ready to allow the child to tag along on another patrol. She was not a very nurturing presence. Surprisingly, Huhū was. Seeing her studying him, he patted a small pouch that he always tied around his neck. “Did I ever tell you what I have in here?” He asked. Kanikau shook her head. “My little sister and I got turned during one of our first ocean fishing expeditions. She didn’t survive.”

“It’s a little macabre carrying around children’s teeth.” Kanikau at least had enough sense to whisper that part. She didn’t want Keiki to know how lucky she was to be turned. Or maybe the lucky ones are the ones who are eaten…she had no good answer for that. Something, something survivor’s bias or whatever.

“Everything down here is a little macabre,” Huhū tucked the pouch back under his shirt. “She had some sort of attention disorder. Handling Keiki is a piece of cake compared to keeping Gina occupied.”

Kanikau huffed and glanced up to call Keiki back. Except Keiki wasn’t in front of them. Or behind them when she spun around. Or really anywhere in their line of sight. _This is a problem…_ Kanikau looked to Huhū who shared the same expression of fear. “We lost the child,” She whispered.

“KEIKI!” Huhū started to call frantically. “KEIKI, COME BACK HERE PLEASE!”

* * *

Keiki paid no attention to the gatherers’ cries, probably because she didn’t hear them. She made sure to steer clear of any of the seaweed; she still wasn’t _completely_ sure which were safe to consume. This sent her wandering a bit closer to the depths of the ocean. Well, not the _depths_ as they were originally pretty close to the surface, but deep enough that the difference of sunlight was quite noticeable. A couple of oddly shaped rocks caught her eye and she sank further down to inspect them. She stifled a scream as a velvety muzzle brushed against her bare arm. “Nani!” She exclaimed and turned to pat the hippocampus. “You startled me,” Nani nickered. After she had Wahi, she was a pretty good babysitter. At least, she never lost Huhū or Ikehu and they were the closest they had for children for a while.

* * *

“I’m not lying,” Trevor protested, “I really was the champion at our annual slingshot competition.”

“That’s probably not something you should be bragging about,” Olakino plucked a piece of rotten seaweed. Since he had an ounce of common sense, he didn’t plop it into his mouth and instead tossed it deeper into the ocean to avoid any other food poisoning cases. “How many people were competing anyway? Were you the only one?”

“No….” Trevor bit his lip. “There was three of us.” He admitted.

“Oh my god, how lame,” Olakino laughed. “I thought sailors in the navy would be more interesting.”

“The only thing separating other sailors and the navy is a different uniform,” Trevor fiddled with the buttons on his.

“Well, I do love a man in uniform,” Olakino smirked, “If only my man wasn’t such a nerd.”

“What did you do in your free time?” Trevor was buzzing at the thought of finally being a sort of couple, of course to the arrogant doctor that he was _not_ attracted to in any way. “I bet it was something equally nerdy like reading encyclopedias.”

“I played baseball,” Olakino closed his eyes. He didn’t allow himself to think of the past very often, especially the parts he had grown to regret. “I was scouted for different colleges before I quit.”

“That is significantly more impressive than slingshots,” Trevor said, “Why’d you quit? I would’ve loved playing baseball if it had been more widespread when I was not cursed to live in the ocean.”

“A lot of factors went into that,” Olakino puffed out his cheeks. Trevor took the hint: drop it. “And I don’t think slingshot skills translate into baseball.”

“I bet you they do,” Trevor said, “Hand-eye coordination translates easily.”

“I _highly_ doubt that,” Olakino laced his hand in Trevor’s, “I say we test it out. I haven’t pitched in years.”

“I’m assuming we’re using currents to our advantage?” Trevor squeezed his hand.

“Obviously,” Olakino pulled Trevor along, “All we need is a round rock and a sturdy stick.”

* * *

“How did you lose an entire child?” Kanikau pulled a thick patch of kelp apart. _No Keiki here,_ she huffed.

“Me? Have you forgotten you are a part of this as well?” Huhū arguing while looking in a shallow alcove. No luck there.

“We both know that I should not be trusted with keeping children safe,” Kanikau shooed a school of fish away. “I probably shouldn’t even be in charge of a pod,” She paused before she continued with a threat, “and if you tell anyone I said that, Keiki won’t be the only siren missing around here.”

“Whatever,” Huhū dismissed her with the wrist she had broken years ago, “We all know we’re each one bad day from snapping.”

* * *

Keiki showed Nani the rocks she found excitedly. She knew she was supposed to be gathering things but after almost eating rotten seaweed last year, she was a bit hesitant. She felt a lot safer down here away from all of her growing responsibilities. _Wait…_ for a second she swore she heard some voices. She paused and swam a few meters up. It certainly wasn’t Kanikau and Huhū, these voices were much deeper and dare say happier. “Hey, batter, batter! Hey, batter, batter! Swing!” If Keiki listened hard enough, she thought that sounded like the Trevor, but she wasn’t sure.

“No…” That was Olakino no doubt. It wasn’t hard to hear the disappointment in his voice. “You aren’t supposed to taunt the batter _when you’re the batter._ ”

Keiki giggled to herself. She didn’t know what they were arguing about but listening to adults argue was silly. Grown-ups were supposed to know everything; there’s no need to fight. “And that’s _out of the park!”_ Trevor yelled again. A big smash brought her attention to immediately above her, just in time to see a large boulder tumbling down the cliff towards her and Trevor had time to yell, “ _FUCK!”_

* * *

Huhū and Kanikau turned towards the heavy crashing of rocks meeting rocks. “You don’t think…” Huhū trailed off. He didn’t want to think of the worst-case scenario. Kanikau shot off in the direction of the commotion with Huhū close behind. Before they spotted the cause of the noise, they spotted a pair of pink headed sirens making a beeline towards an overhang a bit below.

“ _He aha ke ano o kēia?_ ” Kanikau’s voice shook.

“I kind of, maybe hit a rock in this direction with a current that probably had a little too much…oomph.” Trevor stammered. He pointed at a lock of dark pink hair peeking out from a hunk of rock. “That’s…not…that’s…that’s..”

Olakino rested a hand on his shoulder. “You’re going into shock.”

“Well, don’t!” Kanikau ordered. “Put on your big boy pants and _get your shit together._ We need to get the debris moved _now._ ”

Huhū already was kneeling down and carefully pulling the smaller chunks out of the way. It was a twisted game of pick-up sticks. “Hurry,” He weakly called through tears, “Th-there’s blood.” It took all four sirens to gradually move the broken pieces of boulder off of the small body of Keiki. Olakino took the task of pulling Keiki out slowly in case of any brain or spinal injuries but had trouble with her lower half.

“Wait, there’s fins under here too,” Olakino touched the fin of Nani and elicited a soft nicker from her, “She’s alive as well.” As they unearthed more of the hippocampus, it was clear she had taken the brunt of the impact. She strained to sniff at Keiki, and looking into her eyes, Olakino saw unbridled concern. “She’s alive,” He patted the hippocampus. He was never the one to go crazy over their gaggle of sea creatures, but now he had no doubt that Nani had purposefully shielded Keiki. The sun was setting and the water darkening by the time both Keiki and Nani were freed. Olakino was to the side tending to Keiki while the last of the rubble was cleared. “A minor concussion,” He muttered to himself, “The spine will have to be evaluated closer when she’s conscious.”

Kanikau wiped her brow, “We might have to leave Nani here overnight. I doubt three of us could get her back safely in the dark.” She patted her hippocampus’ head. “You did so good today, I’m very proud of you.” She whispered and kissed her forehead. Nani leaned into her touch. “I’ll come back at dawn, alright?”

“I’ll stay with her tonight,” Trevor said.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Olakino frowned, “You’ll be freezing.”

“Nani will be cold too,” Trevor crossed his arms. “And I’m the reason she’s down here injured.”

“First of all, this was an accident,” Olakino said, “Second of all, it would be both of our faults then. Third of all, it won’t be any better for you to be aching and tired tomorrow when we need everyone to help.”

“Alright,” Trevor looked at Keiki’s limp figure, “I’ll carry her back.”

“I will too,” Huhū offered, “You’re not the only ones who messed up. We’re the ones who couldn’t find her.”

“She’ll most likely survive,” Olakino said, “That is if she doesn’t freeze to death out here.” He shivered. The waters were cooling off quickly now that night had set in.

“See you in the morning, Nani,” Kanikau gave one last pet to Nani. “Time to head back.”

* * *

Keiki fell in and out of consciousness throughout the night, though Olakino wasn’t terribly worried. She only showed signs of a concussion and shock and with his steady eye, she was moderately alert by morning. He stayed back to diagnose her while the rest of the sirens left to haul back Nani. While the camp was quiet, he used Bale’s old glasses to direct light into Keiki’s eyes to dilate her pupils. “What hurts?” He asked briskly. He didn’t know how long she would be able to answer questions before drifting into another period of rest.

“I have a headache,” It took her longer to string a sentence together. “And I’m cold.”

Olakino wrapped her in Trevor’s navy jacket that he left behind. Trevor normally wouldn’t go anywhere without it, but he was too frazzled this morning to remember. And Olakino didn’t mind seeing him in just an undershirt. “I’m going to put pressure on different points on your body and you’ll tell me how much it hurts on a scale of one to ten, ten being the worst.”

Keiki weakly nodded. Olakino started up at her neck. “Eight?” Now her shoulders. “Six.” Her arms and torso were not as sore but as Olakino prodded further down her waist, there was a point where her pain level was zero.

“We’re using a scale between one and ten,” He said impatiently. At her age, she should have the concept of numbers down. “Zero isn’t an answer.”

“But it doesn’t hurt at all,” Keiki protested. “So, it’s zero.”

“…at all?” Olakino dug his sharp fingernails into her hips. “What number is this?”

“Still zero.” Keiki started to pout. “I wanna go back to sleep now.”

“Alright.” Olakino sighed. He got enough information anyway; she was paralyzed from the waist down.

* * *

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Olakino stood guard in front of his alcove’s entrance. “I’m a doctor, not a veterinarian!”

“Well, I never got to vet school so you’re the best bet.” Anaia argued. “I’m sure hippocampus cuts are close enough to human cuts to treat.” But it wasn’t like treating Keiki since instead of using a proper number scale, Nani would swing her head around and nip at Olakino if he found a particularly sore spot no matter how much Kanikau and Anaia calmed her. Unfortunately, it seemed that Nani had the same diagnosis as Keiki; everything beyond her flanks was paralyzed.

* * *

Kanikau rolled over in her sleep onto a small rock. That was enough to wake her from her restless dreams. For a few minutes she laid there with the rock still digging into her skin. She couldn’t bring herself to move as if she thought the uncomfortable feeling was deserved. _Why did she feel so much dread_?

* * *

Piha’s stomach was finally settling and he hoped to return to work in the next few months. He had helped transport Nani yesterday and felt exhausted but not unwell. He sat next to Koe as the sirens ate a small breakfast. “You’re quieter than usual,” He noted, “Is it because of your breakup with Ikehu?”

“No, not that,” Koe twirled a piece of kelp in her hand, “That was just a casual thing. No…the fire-lizards are unsettled and none of them will explain why.”

“Should we be concerned?” Piha still wasn’t entirely sure how fire-lizards worked. 

“I’m not sure,” Koe closed her eyes. Piha guessed she was asking Polū more questions. “He just said to ‘stay out of the way today’ whatever that means.”

“That sounds like we should be concerned.” Piha lost his appetite and was disappointed. He missed wanting to eat his favorite foods. “He didn’t say what about?”

“Nope,” Koe frowned. “And it’s rather annoying!” She definitely directed that point at Polū. Piha’s stomach rolled, all appetite gone. The only thing he’d have for breakfast today would be his nerves.

* * *

“They’re both paralyzed,” Olakino announced to the pod. “They’ll have to learn how to move and live differently, but their other injuries are treated.” Keiki was crying softly in the corner, head in her hands with her tail jutting out uselessly. Nani seemed pretty chill to be honest; she wasn’t too concerned. Kanikau gave her a confident pat and Anaia hugged the hippocampus’ neck. Trevor and Huhū tried to get Keiki’s attention by doing some lame magic tricks. Huki adjusted his hat. It felt like Trevor and Olakino had proved that nothing good came from the ocean; the minute you’re having positive experiences is the minute your luck turned.

Huki sat still watching Nani do her best to swim. By flinging what she could of her back end and exhausting flipping of her front legs, she could move unreliably and slowly. After a while, everyone’s attention switched to something else, except Huki was still tailing Nani. It seemed like she was heading towards the shallows. **_I don’t like how this day could go,_** Gula butted into his thoughts, **_Go back to Anaia._**

“You know I don’t h’ve friends, especially her.”

**_I cannot stop Keleawe from fetching her then._ **

“She’s no threat to me.”

**_If you say so._ **

Huki now ignored the agitated fire-lizards now soaring overhead. Every once in a while, one would dive in to check what was happening. He regarded the lame hippocampus with uncaring eyes. He both knew and didn’t know what he would do. Was he doing it to rile Anaia after their argument? Was it to show Kanikau that no one is in control? Was it just out of boredom?

He looked at the large rock in his hands. He didn’t remember grabbing it, but it was in his possession whether he liked it or not. **_Huki…_** Gula once again interrupted, **_just leave. No matter the outcome, you’ll be gone one way or another._**

“I’m not useful myself.” The self-hate boiled to the surface. “What does it matt’r?” Nani swung her head towards him as he approached. She nickered, recognizing him with her big, doe-y eyes. As the first swing struck her in the face, she reared back but rolled awkwardly on her numb fins. The sharp stone glistened in the sun as it smashed against Nani’s cheek, fracturing her skull. One of her front legs kicked him in his chest and he was knocked into the sand gasping for breath. He wrapped an arm around his torso and felt a fractured rib. Nani rested as well, blood clouding the water. The fire-lizards screeched in the air above.

 ** _Stop!_** But it was too late, Huki rose, now even slower than usual with his torn tail. Nani had little fight left in her, almost allowing herself to succumb to her fate. She grunted one last time before the heavens took pity and let her die.

Keleawe must have already prepared Anaia for the scene she arrived at as tears already were running down her cheeks. “Why?” She stood over Huki who was laying on his side. Something else must have snapped along with his ribs and his sanity. “What good does this do for anyone?”

“She can’t go on patrols anymore.” Huki coughed. “Not a v’ry good horse then.”

Anaia picked up the bloody rock that laid beside him. Huki scrutinized her face. Did she have the strength to follow through with her thoughts? “What message will this send to Keiki?” She let the blood drip on her hands. “Patrolling isn’t important; companionship is.”

“Does it look like I have companions?” Huki asked. “I can barely swim, I can’t be a warrior.”

“Of course you can, you just choose not to,” Anaia hefted the rock into her dominant hand. “Do you also choose to be put down, just like an unwanted ranch animal?”

Huki felt fear for the first time under the ocean. Now that he was looking death in the eyes, he was scared. But how different would death be to being a siren? “You won’t kill me,” Huki called her bluff, “You couldn’t hurt a plankton.”

“But I’m a warrior, aren’t I?” She whispered. Her grip on the stone tightened. “What kind of a warrior am I if I won’t even fight?” Like Huki did minutes before, Anaia swung down and the rock connected with his temple. A little bit of blood dripped from his nose, but he was dead, Stenson askew. Gula let out an unnatural shriek.

* * *

Back at the alcoves, Kanikau was startled by a feminine voice speaking in her mind that was not her own. She pressed her hands against her skull. **_She killed him!_**

“Killed who?” Kanikau hissed.

**_Anaia killed Huki!_ **

While she was surprised with the turn of events, she knew what this meant. “Koe,” She called out triumphantly. “I’m bonded to a _gold_ fire-lizard! Eat it and weep, blue _‘ala_!”


	15. WHAT CHILD IS THIS? (NOT BY JOSH GROBAN)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More fire-lizards hatch and Keiki gets a friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TERMS  
> Carmina Abyssi | songs of the deep  
> Anima Rapientem | soul snatchers  
> lua wai | water cave  
> moku hau’oli | happy ship  
> māhū pō | night vision  
> ʻenlelo maʻalahi | siren language  
> ʻakaʻaka | fuck  
> moe ʻino ʻoe iā ʻoe | damn you to hell  
> kāʻoki ʻia | dipshit  
> mele loea | song immortals  
> kēnā | siren  
> kahu | guardian  
> kauwa | servant  
> e hele i ka ʻoki! | go to hell serpent!  
> ʻala | bitch  
> he aha ke ano o kēia? | what the hell is this?  
> scum | scum  
> hele pela! | bug off!  
> pīhoihoi | dumbass  
> mawaena | between
> 
> NAMES  
> Kanikau | lament  
> Hilahila | confusion  
> Nani | beaut  
> Ōpala | garbage  
> Huhū | nervous  
> Paakiki | stubborn  
> Ikehu | energy  
> Bale | barley  
> Olakino | health  
> Nahesa | serpent  
> Piha | parrot  
> Gula | gold  
> Keleawe | bronze  
> Koe | remain  
> Keiki | child  
> Leoū | roan  
> Polū | blue  
> Aukā | fleck  
> Ōmaʻomaʻo | green  
> Kekolu | third  
> Kawa | bitter  
> Ululā’au | forest  
> Lani | sky  
> Nalu | waves

## HE AHA KĒIA KEIKI? ('A'OLE E KA JOSH GROBAN)

### " WHAT CHILD IS THIS? (NOT BY JOSH GROBAN) "

Was it pathetic that Ikehu idled behind boulders and algae to eavesdrop on her ex-girlfriend chatting with Piha? Probably but Ikehu was too sad to care. While Koe was attractive and a mostly kind siren, there wasn’t anything terribly special about her. She might have been the most serious relationship Ikehu had ever had, but six months of surface-level dating was close to nothing. Ikehu had grown too attached and still managed to screw it up. She shut her eyes grateful that tears blended in easily under the water and focused on Koe’s soft words.

“I don’t know what sect of mele loea Paakiki was in…” Koe chuckled, “It must have been one of the more… _traditional_ …ones. My sect split us into small pods based on common interests and ages, and the smaller numbers dissuaded big arguments. I was the youngest of my pod with Tristan being a year older than me. Mara, Cessaire, Brennan, and Deirdre were all a few years older that him. Even though I was younger, we got along perfectly. They always said I was mature for my age, but I think that was just a natural side effect of being turned. The closest we ever got to fighting was when Tristan was being a bit of an arse, but Mara was best at putting him back in his place. God, I miss them,” A soft patting could be heard and Ikehu assumed it was Piha doing his best at comforting her. “It’s bittersweet thinking of all the memories we made together. None of us ever remembered much of our above-world lives so we lived as normally as we could underwater. I’m glad I had the time I did with them, but it was snatched away too suddenly.” Her voice sharpened. “Piha, never forget what we truly are deep down inside. As much as we pretend we are only morally skewed, deep down, we are only monsters parading around in a half-human form.”

**Let’s go to the Loch,** Nessie brought Ikehu out of her daze, **it’ll be nice to have some freshwater for a change.**

_Alright,_ Ikehu reluctantly agreed. She knew Nessie would take her there voluntary or not. _I’ll be just as sad in Scotland._

* * *

Gula and Keleawe had gathered a small portion of sirens to witness the hatching. Kanikau didn’t attend; she was only concerned with the status and bragging rights of being claimed by a gold fire-lizard. Trevor had excitedly drug Olakino along; Olakino was hoping to score a favor and staring at eggs in the sand for a few minutes seemed like an easy way to earn it. Huhū enlisted Piha’s help to carry Keiki to the beach to break the monotony days of hanging out in the medical alcove. “What’s even going on?” Keiki crossed her arms and pouted. “I don’t wanna watch sand.”

“LOOK! THEY’RE HATCHING!” Trevor yanked on Olakino’s arm. There was no time to explain, the fire-lizards were emerging.

The first to peek their head out was a small blue snout. She was a much darker blue than Polū and much smaller. The sirens looked at each other, not knowing who she had chosen to bond with. When the blue finally found Keiki’s small head resting slightly under the water, she carefully perched and curled up in her hair. One down, five to go. The next fire-lizard to emerge was a dark mint color and immediately bothered Olakino. “That’s a mouthful of a name,” He muttered, “I’m not calling you Ōmaʻomaʻo.”

“Ooo!” Trevor whistled jealously, “You have a green one.”

“You can have him,” Olakino popped a hand out of the ocean and shooed the fire-lizard away. He had seen Keiki’s fire-lizard and assumed the medic would also like a new hat. “He’s already complaining about being hungry.”

A deep bronze one was the next to hatch and Huhū waved cheerfully at him. “Kekolu,” He greeted, “You look just like your father.”

“Lani,” Piha let the new sky-blue fire-lizard rest on his hand stump, “I have the perfect perch for you.”

The last two greens hatched at the same time; a sickly green and a pine green fire-lizard joined Ōmaʻomaʻo in diving in the shallows and nipping at Olakino. “FOR FUCK’S SAKE!” Olakino sank deeper where his new friends couldn’t bother him, at least physically.

“I can’t believe you have three and I have zero,” Trevor actually sounded pretty ticked off, “I’m _upset._ ”

* * *

Anaia listened to Trevor rant about not bonding to a fire-lizard for the third time…well, she pretended to listen to the best of her ability. In reality, she was exhausted. She had been getting less than two hours of sleep a night, spending most of her time staring at the rocks surrounding her alcove. She couldn’t complain about not sleeping though, since sleep brings dreams, and dreams bring nightmares, and nightmares bring back the billowing clouds of blood and flesh.

* * *

“I heard you bonded with a fire-lizard today.” Keiki was surprised to see Kanikau joining her on the overhang. She was secretly glad it wasn’t Huhū since he would try to cheer her up and she wanted to feel upset at the moment. “I thought you’d want to sit up by the surface to enjoy the sun.”

“No,” Keiki said, “I like feeling sad and cold. I’m left out of everything anyway.”

“Me too,” Kanikau pulled her knees to her chin to rest her head on, “Trevor’s ideas of sunshine and rainbows making everything better is such bullshit.” Keiki giggled. She wasn’t used to hearing all of the swears the older sirens uttered. “It’s healthy to feel the entire range of emotions.”  
“Are you sad all the time?” Keiki rarely saw Kanikau smile or laugh. “You don’t go to the surface either.”

“Bad things happen up there,” Kanikau played with one of her curls.

“What bad things?” Keiki argued, “I got hurt down here.”

“No one likes being a siren,” Kanikau explained, “And the above-world is where everything starts.”

“If bad things come from the above-world, why do we go near there? Wouldn’t it be better to stay deep in the ocean?”

“Yes,” Kanikau pondered, “I don’t think anyone would complain if sirens died out. No one is welcoming to sirens.”

“Did I come from the above-world?” Keiki asked.

“Yes.”

“Did you?”  
“Yes.”

“Do you remember what it was like?”

“Nothing at all,” The two sat silent for a while. “I had to find another pod to take care of me like you. I was very young when I was turned.”

“Did you find Trevor then?” Keiki asked.

“No, I only met Trevor maybe ten years ago.” That seemed like an eternity when she said it out loud. “I found a pod of merfolk called Sereia. They were more traditional merfolk and lived deeper underwater.”

“I thought Ikehu said we couldn’t go very far down.” Keiki said.

“We can’t,” Kanikau’s voice grew bitter, “They could though. They were born from fish and could handle the depths and darkness. While they cared for me, there was always a clear barrier between me and them. And they made that barrier impenetrable.”

“I’m sorry,” Keiki couldn’t think of anything else to say.

“Why are you sorry?” Kanikau snapped.

“I…don’t know,” Keiki wished for Huhū’s comforting voice instead now.

“Then don’t say it.” Kanikau left leaving the little paralyzed siren all alone. Keiki debated on whether their talk had made her feel better or not. She still wasn’t sure.

* * *

Piha stayed near the fire-lizards sand dune as he spent time with Lani. To be honest, he was just a smidge tired of hearing about all of Koe’s old friends. He was glad she had such a great life before Abyssi, but he remembered virtually nothing before being turned by Huki ( _barf_ ) and his stay here wasn’t peachy either. Thankfully, his stomach had settled by now, but he was very reluctant to return to patrolling. As Lani attacked a large tree leaf that looked at her wrong, Piha screwed up his eyes and tried his very best to remember anything at all from the above-world. Even his body seemed to scrunch up with effort until he realized that his body _was_ becoming smaller. Wishing that he had returned to camp with the rest of the sirens, he thrashed in fear as he finished transforming into an African gray parrot and started to drown. Lani noticed splashing and left her leaf behind calling Nalu and Kawa to help her lift the panicked bird onto the sand. “Thanks,” He squawked and did his best to cough up all the water that had travelled into his lungs. He laid on the beach to dry out until he eventually faded back into his siren form. This new trick could become useful if he learned how to control it again. At the time being, he was terrified shifting into a parrot deeper in the ocean since that was surely a death sentence.

* * *

Huhū retrieved Keiki at dusk and carried her back to her alcove. “Do you want me to stay in here with you? Sit with you until you fall asleep?” He ran a hand through her hair; Gina used to love that. He subconsciously grasped the pouch of teeth around his neck with his free hand.

“I’m fine,” Keiki rolled and pushed him away, “You don’t have to worry about me.”

_That_ caused him to worry even more but Huhū listened to her request and left. Instead of returning to his nest, he snuck out of camp and towards the cresting waves. The water was becoming restless possibly hinting at an upcoming storm for the night. Huhū watched the moon rise underneath the churning sea though one section seemed more disturbed than what would be considered normal. He thought his tired eyes were playing tricks on him, signaling that his brain needed rest, but a flash of pale flesh turned his attention away from dreams. It seemed a child had paddled out to look at the colorful coral and had strayed into a current. Huhū quickly scooped up the child, she couldn’t have been older than three, ignored the screams of fear, and swam closer to the shore. But…even the above-world would be unsafe during a storm for a child so young. And the sea wouldn’t be safe unless…and Keiki had to be _terribly_ lonely…and…and…and the child’s neck looked rather soft and tempting…

“I can breathe underwater!” A weak protest came too late. Huhū brought back a new friend for Keiki.

* * *

The morning came just like any other day, though with a new addition to the pod. That still didn’t stop the fact that the sirens were now outnumbered by animals which worried Kanikau. With so much bloodshed and general wild activity the sirens naturally created, the hunting patrol was having to stray further and further away from main Abyssi territory. Soon, it would start affecting their rations. A new problem was on the horizon and for once it wasn’t another siren.


	16. THE DOCTOR'S DILEMMA

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arguing and dragon lore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TERMS  
> Carmina Abyssi | songs of the deep  
> Anima Rapientem | soul snatchers  
> lua wai | water cave  
> moku hau’oli | happy ship  
> māhū pō | night vision  
> ʻenlelo maʻalahi | siren language  
> ʻakaʻaka | fuck  
> moe ʻino ʻoe iā ʻoe | damn you to hell  
> kāʻoki ʻia | dipshit  
> mele loea | song immortals  
> kēnā | siren  
> kahu | guardian  
> kauwa | servant  
> e hele i ka ʻoki! | go to hell serpent!  
> ʻala | bitch  
> he aha ke ano o kēia? | what the hell is this?  
> scum | scum  
> hele pela! | bug off!  
> pīhoihoi | dumbass  
> mawaena | between
> 
> NAMES  
> Kanikau | lament  
> Hilahila | confusion  
> Nani | beaut  
> Ōpala | garbage  
> Huhū | nervous  
> Paakiki | stubborn  
> Ikehu | energy  
> Bale | barley  
> Olakino | health  
> Nahesa | serpent  
> Piha | parrot  
> Gula | gold  
> Keleawe | bronze  
> Koe | remain  
> Keiki | child  
> Leoū | roan  
> Polū | blue  
> Aukā | fleck  
> Ōmaʻomaʻo | green  
> Kekolu | third  
> Kawa | bitter  
> Ululā’au | forest  
> Lani | sky  
> Nalu | waves  
> Mahalo | acceptence

## 'O KA PAPA WAI O KE KAUKA

### " THE DOCTOR'S DILEMMA "

Anaia kept her eyes fixed on the flying shadow that occasionally dipped into the water in front of her. Keleawe was on the hunt but for what, he wasn’t telling. **_It’s a surprise,_** he insisted as he sensed her doubt, **_okay, okay, look between those two rocks._** Keleawe hovered above the waves as Anaia dove deeper down. There was an old rusted fishing boat that had been capsized with a rusted iron sword peeking out from under it. The writing that was painted on one of the sides read “Adventures of the Speckled Boat”, but the handwriting was shaky and childlike. Anaia ran her hand over the words and some of the paint flaked off. A fishing pole could be seen peeking out from the side, but she focused on the sword. That was what Keleawe brought her here for anyway. The sword itself wasn’t fancy, it was a standard sword, perhaps slightly lighter than the usual ones meaning it was forged for a female.

 _I don’t have any use for a sword,_ Anaia said.

 ** _It’d be better than a rock,_** Keleawe argued, **_less traumatic._**

Anaia shivered, _I don’t want to think about that._ She wiggled the sword out of the rocks and held it in front of her. It wasn’t unlike her old fencing foils and was studier than her wooden spears.

 ** _See,_** Keleawe said, **_it’s perfect._**

* * *

The waters grew colder as Koe and Piha swam eastward. The autumn waters grew colder the further they got from home and the two looked at each other with unease. Did they really want to risk their lives for the Abyssi? Piha rubbed his arms and Koe hugged her shawl closer to her chest but they continued. They were on the very outskirts of known Abyssi territory on orders straight from Kanikau herself. There was a decrease of new sirens and animals, along with food, which required longer trips. However, this stretch of ocean was chillingly empty with nothing but the open waters all around them. “You know which way camp is, right?” Piha scratched his head nervously. Koe turned and thought she saw distant rocks.

“That way,” But she didn’t sound terribly confident. Luckily, she didn’t need to be confident as all hell broke loose as the two found an unforgiving current and were swept down to the depths below. Koe wasn’t sure when she lost consciousness for sure as the next few moments were filled with darkness and pain.

* * *

Anaia discovered Mahalo the same way she discovered Olakino: by pointing a sharpened object his way. “Sorry,” Anaia quickly said as she drew back the blade. “I wasn’t paying attention.”

“I’m glad you weren’t paying attention while swinging a sword around,” The mohawked siren said.

“I’m a warrior so I can handle it,” Anaia responded grumpily. She wished Huki was here to hurl back a snarky remark, but she could only blame herself for his disappearance.

“I feel so secure,” The siren sarcastically said. “You wouldn’t happen to have any smokes, would you?”

“Can you even smoke under water?” Anaia rolled her eyes. “I don’t think fire and water work that way.”

“You can if you try hard enough,” The siren smirked. “If you _know_ enough, you won’t have any problem.

_WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?_

**_Maybe he can breathe fire,_** Keleawe suggested.

* * *

“Thank goodness I’ve saved this little bottle for a time like this,” Olakino shook a small vial that contained a powerful antibiotic. “Koe will be much better off with this.”

“What is that?” Kanikau asked.

“Antibiotics,” Olakino explained, “Could cure about anything.”

“Anything?” Kanikau tapped her chin a few times. “Are we sure we should waste it on this then?”

“Waste?” Trevor cut in. “I’m no doctor but even I can tell her face is a _disaster_. I can’t think of a better use for a cure-all medication.”

“I cannot guarantee her safety without it,” Olakino set it down, “though keep talking. I will stabilize her the best I can and see what truly will be necessary.”

“The sooner the better, right?” Trevor paused seeing Kanikau’s unbothered face. “ _Right?_ ”

“In theory,” Olakino looked to Kanikau while fussing with gauzes and cloth being dabbed and wrapped around the cuts.

“We never know when Sereia will strike,” Kanikau twisted one of her curls around a finger, “War is inevitable. Who can tell what it will bring?”

“I don’t feel that’s a valid enough reason.” Trevor said. “There’s always going to be a worst-case scenario.”

“Better to be prepared,” Kanikau shrugged. “It’s up to you Olakino, but I trust you’ll make the _correct_ decision. And what does Koe do around here anyway? You just finished fixing up her cuts from the last round of patrols. Is she _really_ that worthy of such a high-level treatment?” Kanikau drifted out of the medical alcove leaving her words hanging in midair.

“I have her all cleaned up,” Olakino said to Trevor who was staring daggers at Kanikau’s disappearing form, “If I use basic medical herbs and keep infections under control, it would be possible to save the vial.”

“Is it necessary for her to suffer longer for the same result?” Trevor frowned.

“Kanikau is captain around here,” Olakino hissed, “and she brings up valid points.”

“Is that who you’re going to listen to now?” Trevor snapped. “Some egotistical ‘ _ala_ with a feud with Koe over your boyfriend? What about the Hippocratic oath?”

“While I took that oath, I’ve never had the opportunity to practice under it,” Olakino argued, “I don’t owe anyone anything down here and keeping this medicine saved or a possible upcoming war seems to be the smartest thing to do. Koe won’t die without it…probably.”

“ _Probably_?”

“The possible infection might flare up worse than originally thought, but I’ve done precautionary measures. It won’t spread to her brain,” Olakino assured. “It might leave her scarred.”

“I can’t believe you’d let that happen,” Trevor scoffed, “You’re a _doctor_.”

“A medic,” Olakino corrected, “I lost my chance at being a doctor. I’m nothing official down here. I just have more medical knowledge than the rest of you guys.”

“You better stay in your medic’s alcove tonight with your new patient.” Trevor crossed his arms. “And don’t expect for a minute that I’ll join you.”

* * *

“What’s that?” Keiki pointed excitedly to Anaia’s new toy. Tiana sat behind her with widened eyes as the sword came clearly into view. “We can play pirates!”

“It’s not a plaything,” Anaia scolded, “Any weapons are not to be messed with; they’re not toys. Right Huhū?” She wrangled the nearby siren into the conversation.

Huhū kept his eyes on the sword. “Where did you find that?” His voice was hoarse.

“Keleawe led me to a small boat wreck,” Anaia explained, “The boat was in rough conditioned and looked very old. That’s why this is so rusted, but I’m going to try and clean it.”

“Where was the boat?”  
“Oh,” Anaia gestured wildly, “off to the west. It was pretty far.” Anaia swiped the sword with a finger. The rust was pretty stuck on. “Oh!” She grinned as she remembered the name of the boat. “It said ‘Adventures of the Speckled Boat’, though that was really faded.”

“She really loved that story,” Huhū said so quietly Anaia almost missed it.

“Did you know the…boat?”

“She named it after her favorite Sherlock Holmes story,” Huhū ignored her only reminiscing out loud. “We saved up two summers worth of allowance.”

“Who is ‘she?’”

“And the sword was our pretend harpoon,” His eyes were misty, “It was our first ocean fishing outing.”

“Did you get turned around here?”

Huhū clutched his pouch of teeth. “I’ll have to take Gina to see our boat sometime if you would care to show me the wreck.” A faint smile flickered on his face before disappearing once again, “She’ll be glad it’s not lost forever.”

* * *

Mahalo wasn’t used to being around young people, especially children. Above-world he connected with older people easier and was the youngest in his family, so school was the only time for him to socialize with other children his age. His mother used to call him an “old soul” but now there was a small _green_ child following him around camp. He was starting to get irked as he didn’t appreciate a new shadow and just wanted to get acquainted with camp quickly and alone. “I like your hair,” The child piped up.

“Thanks,” Mahalo said in monotone. He was going to compliment something of the child’s but couldn’t find the energy to do so.

“Can you cut my hair like that?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Go away and bother someone else.”

* * *

“She’s regaining consciousness,” A male voice sounded warbly in Koe’s groggy mind. She tried opening her eyes but was apparently having difficulty. Did she somehow forget while fighting off infection? Was that possible? Supposedly, you could never forget how to ride a bike, opening and closing your own eyelids surely fell under the same reflex, right? “Koe, you alright?”

Koe’s fingers brushed against her face searching for a blindfold of sorts keeping her in the dark. There was only a cloth bandage of sorts on the raw stretches of skin. “Can you help me open my eyes?” Her voice was hoarse and quiet from being unused.

“They’re open,” Olakino’s smooth fingers were immediately on her face pulling and looking at her eyes. This is when Koe realized that the burry vague shapes in front of her weren’t from light coming through her eyelids; it was what she was able to see now. “You really can’t see _anything?_ ”

“I can see blobs of movements,” Koe whispered. _How unfair,_ she thought angrily, _I get a bit scratched up on a patrol and I’m blind?_

“…blobs are a good start.” Olakino said weakly.

“Barely any blobs.” Koe felt a tear slip out. “Barely anything at all.”

* * *

A small child’s hand startled Koe out of her dozing state. “Are you pair-E-lazied like Keiki?” Tiana stumbled over the word ‘paralyzed’ but Koe got the just.

“No,” Koe didn’t feel like explaining the difference between major injuries to this random child. “I can’t see. Keiki can’t swim.”

“Huhū said he was starting to build something to help Keiki swim. Maybe he can build something to help you see too.” Tiana suggested.

“That’s stupid,” Koe turned away from the annoying child, “Don’t bother him with your ideas.” _That seemed to do it,_ Koe thought happily. Tiana left her alcove crying, so Koe could have some peace.

* * *

“Can you tell me more about Sereia?” Keiki had finished testing with Kanikau for the day. She learned leadership or whatever Kanikau classified as leadership.

“I’d like to know more about this Sereia as well,” Trevor had joined the two in the alcove. He had a pissed off expression. “I doubt anything Sereia did was harsh enough to permanently damage Koe.”

“It’s not what they _did_ do,” Kanikau crossly said, “It’s what they didn’t. They raised me mostly as their own and kicked me out to start my own pod filled with sirens. They were amendment that I find others like me. But when I started having territorial issues with another larger siren pod, they refused to help and just watched as we were completely wiped out. Then to rub salt in the wound, Mateus moved into _moku hau’oli_. My old home.”

“So Koe got caught in between the spat of you and the…”

“Anima Rapientem,” Kanikau frowned, “though I wouldn’t put it past some of the Sereia to take out a couple sirens from the sidelines.”

“Anima Rapientem?” Keiki was much better at sounding words out.

“The Soul Snatchers,” Kanikau translated, “You think I’m ruthless,” She looked pointedly at Trevor, “Just you wait.”


	17. THE QUARTERMASTER

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keiki decides what career path she'll take.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TERMS  
> Carmina Abyssi | songs of the deep  
> Anima Rapientem | soul snatchers  
> lua wai | water cave  
> moku hau’oli | happy ship  
> māhū pō | night vision  
> ʻenlelo maʻalahi | siren language  
> ʻakaʻaka | fuck  
> moe ʻino ʻoe iā ʻoe | damn you to hell  
> kāʻoki ʻia | dipshit  
> mele loea | song immortals  
> kēnā | siren  
> kahu | guardian  
> kauwa | servant  
> e hele i ka ʻoki! | go to hell serpent!  
> ʻala | bitch  
> he aha ke ano o kēia? | what the hell is this?  
> scum | scum  
> hele pela! | bug off!  
> pīhoihoi | dumbass  
> mawaena | between
> 
> NAMES  
> Kanikau | lament  
> Hilahila | confusion  
> Nani | beaut  
> Ōpala | garbage  
> Huhū | nervous  
> Paakiki | stubborn  
> Ikehu | energy  
> Bale | barley  
> Olakino | health  
> Nahesa | serpent  
> Piha | parrot  
> Gula | gold  
> Keleawe | bronze  
> Koe | remain  
> Keiki | child  
> Leoū | roan  
> Polū | blue  
> Aukā | fleck  
> Ōmaʻomaʻo | green  
> Kekolu | third  
> Kawa | bitter  
> Ululā’au | forest  
> Lani | sky  
> Nalu | waves  
> Mahalo | acceptance  
> Mangō | shark

## KA HAPAHA

### " THE QUARTERMASTER "

Keiki sullenly plopped one of her pebbles into one of the squares of the three by three grid Olakino had carved into the stone floor. Tiana put her pebble on the grid, seemingly at random. “I win,” Keiki said with no enthusiasm, “Do you even remember how to play?”

“It’s hard,” Tiana complained as she scratched her head, “You took the spot I wanted.”

“Too bad, so sad,” Keiki crossed her arms as Tiana lashed out her arm and sent the pebbles scattering across the floor. “Don’t be such a baby,” Keiki scolded the younger girl.

“Babies can’t swim,” Tiana shot back, “and _I_ can swim.” She swam away, a bit unsteady as it was difficult to unlearn paddling with both legs. Keiki stayed in place as she couldn’t swim. Luckily her tears blended in with the surrounding water. Eventually her tears dried up and left her with an empty heart and empty stomach. Speaking of which, she didn’t think she had eaten anything that day and it was almost noon. Laboriously, she army crawled to the edge of her alcove and heaved the largest rock she could find down onto the sand slightly below. The sudden rock caught the attention of one of the sirens thankfully, but Keiki immediately regretted it after seeing a head of navy curls heading her direction. The captain was hard to read and hard to please; frankly, Keiki had grown to have a respectable amount of fear towards her.

“What do you want?” Kanikau got straight to the point.

“I’m hungry.”

“Fine,” Kanikau sighed as if feeding a child was the worst thing in the world, “I’ll bring you back a snack.”

“I don’t want a snack,” Keiki pouted as she knew Kanikau’s snack would consist of a piece of rubbery kelp. “I want meat.”

“Guess what, buttercup?” Kanikau flipped a curl behind her shoulder. “You ain’t getting that. Meat is for dinnertime only.”

“Since when is that a rule?” Keiki was turning into a teenager and was learning the wonders of backtalk.

“Since I made it,” Kanikau was the master of backtalk but there was an underlying nervousness in her mannerisms, “These decisions don’t concern you.”

“It should when it affects what I eat,” Keiki shot back. 

Kanikau regarded her with a strange look; it seemed she was both annoyed and impressed at her arguing skills. “You know you’re getting old enough to start pulling your weight around here. What do you think you’re interested in?”

“I can’t do _shit_ ,” Her voice shook as she swore for the first time, “You think Trevor wants me floundering around trying to take down sharks?”

“Don’t be stupid,” Kanikau dismissed her with a hand, “First of all, there’s not a lot of prey to hunt at the moment. Secondly, if you wanted to hunt, you could find a way.”

Keiki frowned. She wasn’t sure if she enjoyed Kanikau’s “pep talks” or not. “I don’t want to hunt down animals anyway.” She muttered and picked at her nails.

“You have to choose something, freeloader,” Kanikau urged, “Come on, you weren’t very good at gathering. You found patrolling the territory with Anaia too boring. You didn’t even consider helping Olakino with medical treatments.”

“He wouldn’t even want me around,” Keiki protested.

“So what’s left?” Kanikau crossed her arms.

“I spent a day with you,” Keiki said, “we spent a lot of time with the animals and a little bit sharpening tools. And argued with Trevor seeing if dolphins or sharks were better.”

“Sharks are obviously better,” Kanikau sidetracked, “A dolphin isn’t as badass as something with three rows of teeth. Anyway, wasn’t that day fun?”

“As fun as it could be, I guess,” Keiki shrugged again. It was fun in between moments of intimidation from being around all the adults.

“Then, you’re helping me.” Kanikau decided for her. “You’ve become the captain’s apprentice. A quartermaster if you will.”

“A quartermaster?” Keiki sounded out the word. It was quite long for something in _ʻenlelo maʻalahi_.

“Trevor never shuts up about ships,” Kanikau explained, “A first mate is the second in command on a ship; they take over if the captain is unable. But we’re no navy, are we? No, quartermasters were second in command on pirate ships. You know pirates: looters, thieves, bandits, scoundrels? We’re a bit more like them, wouldn’t you say?” Her sharp teeth flashed in a sort of twisted smile. “Now that _that’s_ decided, I’ll grab you the kelp you wanted.”

While she was turning away, Keiki tested her new position. “Surely if I am quartermaster, I may have meat.”

Kanikau chuckled. “I am still captain, shark-bait, my word is law.” And sure as can be, Keiki got a small fistful of kelp to munch on to pass the time until dinner.

* * *

Anaia had been avoiding Huhū as much as she could, or at least she tried not to be stuck alone with him. He was getting really pushy trying to get her to take him to the shipwreck she had stumbled across last year. She first tried to give him directions but Huhū only returned in the dark confused and upset that her directions were vague at best. “I’m sorry,” She had defended herself, “The ocean looks the same everywhere you go.” She started to give him _hopefully_ better and different directions, but he insisted on actually following her. After a month of nagging, Anaia finally gave in, now coming up with varying excuses each night he wanted to find the boat. Now two months out, she could not come up with reasonable sounding events and was roped in to spending the entire day tomorrow searching for the Adventures of the Speckled Boat. She didn’t have any clear reason why she wanted to avoid that area, but it left an uneasy stone in her stomach.

* * *

The saying that all the other senses become stronger to compensate for the lost sense was a bunch of bull in Koe’s opinion. Her senses stayed the same, but the sounds bothered her more. _What good is hearing random noises and guessing what they are?_ Koe thought. All she knew was Huhū was banging pieces of driftwood together and it was giving her a headache. Feeling her way down to Olakino’s medical alcove, she brushed her hand across her face to feel the knots of scar tissue not unlike the tissue binding her legs together. She was greeted by another annoying sound coming from the medical alcove: a slow sloshing sound. “Stop that,” She snapped, “I have a headache.”

“I don’t come into your alcove and start bossing you around,” Olakino muttered but the sloshing noise did cease. “Why did you _bless_ me with your presence tonight?”

“I have a headache,” She repeated, “I want medicine.”

“There ain’t ibuprofen in the ocean, sweetie,” Olakino said rather condescendingly, “The closest thing I would have to that would be this.” He shook the liquid again to _show_ her what he was talking about. “But I wouldn’t waste it on such a trivial headache.”

“What’s so special about some random liquid in a bottle?” Koe rubbed her temples. “Is it just freshwater instead of seawater?”

“It’s an elixir,” Olakino explained, “Good to use on practically any injury or illness, so a headache won’t cut it.”

“Any injury?” Koe asked. “Would have been great last year when a current attacked Piha and I.”

“I’ve had this saved for years; you never know when it’s going to come in handy.” Olakino stated.

“ _Years?_ ” Koe screeched. “And what would classify as such an emergency? Maybe smashing your face in the rocks and almost bleeding out? Perhaps when you’re muttering that poor Koe was lucky to pull through?”

“Kanikau didn’t see it necessary,” Olakino sounded a bit uncomfortable now, “and I stand by the captain. You’re alive.”

“You disgust me,” Koe snarled as she threw her hands out in front of her finding the exit.

“There’s no Hippocratic oaths down here,” Olakino defended his unethical actions.

“Now it’s obvious why Trevor spends all of his time hunting,” Koe spat from the alcove opening, “He doesn’t want to sleep with a potential murderer.”

“Don’t bring Trevor into this,” Koe felt a small amount of water displace and figured his swung his fist, “ _And it would have been manslaughter at worst!_ ”

“Call it what you want, coward,” Koe turned again to leave, “If my life can be thrown into the depths without caution, I’m sure yours could as well. As you mentioned before, you are no doctor. One kooky homeopathic siren could come along and deem you useless.”

“If some hippie takes my place, you are all as good as dead anyway,” Olakino argued. They both wanted the last word based on Koe’s reluctance to be out of earshot.

“Good,” Koe pushed her thick bangs out of her eyes out of habit, “I’ll make sure to avoid you when we’re all in hell.”

“Who says this isn’t hell?” Olakino said.

“Did the spirit of Huki possess you or something?” Koe was leaving for real this time, making sure Olakino couldn’t get another word in. “Lose the existential crisis and I’ll take you seriously.”

* * *

Keiki watched the sunrise from the shallows by the coral reef. Kanikau was right about one thing; she needed to figure out how to get around without her legs. It wasn’t going particularly well as swimming with only her top half with the lower half threatening to drag her down was exhausting. Before she succumbed to her fate of tumbling past all of the rocks and outcroppings into the deep ocean, Nalu dove down and ripped her back up to the surface to take a break. He drug her to the sandy dune where she now resided while Nalu recovered from diving much deeper than usual and hauling a seventy-pound siren. Her fingers brushed across the bite marks the fire-lizard left on her arm but preferred that to the alternative. The shallows turned out to be the perfect place for Keiki to practice swimming now that the looming threat of being crushed by major ocean pressure was far behind. She spent the morning army-crawl-swimming and watching different colorful fish darting about the coral. Two dark flashes caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. It seemed like Anaia and Huhū were travelling somewhere. Keiki let out a small sigh of relief. Huhū became overbearing at times as if he associated her with someone else. Now she knew she had an entire day to herself.

* * *

Huhū ran his hand over the port side of the boat that still had enough paint for the name to be readable. “Adventures of the Speckled Boat,” Huhū murmured to himself. Having a closer look at it, there wasn’t any spots of major damage and he was surprised by how well it held up all these years. There was just the large hole on the underside along with claw marks but all that was covered up with the algae and moss reclaiming the boat. He then saw where the sword had been wedged in between the rocks since there was no plant growth there. He turned planning to ask Anaia where she had stored the sword, but she wasn’t anywhere nearby. _Oh well,_ he thought, _she brought me here. That’s enough._

* * *

Anaia had slipped away to be the own main character in her story even though she was just one of few in the Abyssi Logs. Even though Huhū hadn’t said anything, she was pretty sure that is where Paakiki had turned him and murdered his sister. However, she didn’t want to stray too far away from Huhū as they were pretty far from camp and they could easily get turned around with little recognizable landmarks. If she swam a hundred meters away, she would fully be in open ocean territory with no idea with what could be lurking out there. It could be miles and miles of nothing at all or writhing with creatures both known and unknown by humanity; which would be more terrifying? Being alone or being anything but? That wasn’t important now as there was no way any Abyssi sirens would cross the seas in search for anything. Kanikau knew where Sereia resided and forbade anyone from trying to find them, though no one wanted to in the first place. The captain also had guesses where Anima Rapientem lie as well and they didn’t have to be warned about travelling there. She justified leaving Huhū alone by telling herself he probably wanted privacy to relive his last few moments as a human, but she knew he would rather have support. Anaia couldn’t bring herself to stay, however, she was haunted by her own demons. She balled her fists in anger, but they shook. Huhū was a killer, and in the above-world, he would have been charged with first degree murder as it was premeditated. What would Anaia been charged with? She was guilty, there was no doubt about that, but how would the jury view her? She swore she could still hear Huki’s surprised grunts as she held him down and…and…

No, the sound wasn’t in her head. There _was_ a grunting noise and it was coming from below. Hands still quaking, she looked down and could barely make out a shape moving through the water. Taking a deep breath, which is mostly symbolic when you have gills, she carefully descended keeping in mind the increasing depth. By the time she was eye to eye with the trapped shark (only a Mako shark, nothing to be concerned about), she could feel some of the oceanic pressure pressing against her body. It was a rather young shark, female if Anaia sexed her correctly, but it was stuck in a trap. The chain that had connected the trap to whatever on the surface had snapped, most likely from little maintenance based on how rusty the metal had become. The main trap part had been forced out by the torso of the shark thrashing and the shark was mostly through, her dorsal fin was keeping herself from escaping. Anaia carried no tools with her anymore, even though she still maintained her warrior status, so she spent an hour soothing the creature and gently bending her fin around the metal.

“Anaia!” She heard Huhū calling her name in the distance. She wanted to respond but was using all of her energy on setting this shark free. With a great shove and a twist from the shark, she was free to dart off back into the open ocean. But she didn’t. The two stared at each other. For the first time in her life, Anaia felt slight unease while looking at an animal, especially a friendly one.

“Mangō,” Anaia named the Mako shark hoping that would personify her more and it did slightly. But the first time someone stares deep into a shark’s dead eyes is a very unsettling experience. However, much emotion they might feel is lost in their matte black eyes. Hearing Huhū call her name again, she swam towards him with Mangō following behind. It seemed like they had a new pet. “Sorry, I kinda wandered off, didn’t I?” Anaia moved her bangs out of her eyes.

“Not a problem,” Like Mangō’s eyes, Huhū’s eyes were vacant. Perhaps leading him to the shipwreck wasn’t a good idea after all. “Let’s go back, I have something I need to finish.”

“It’s almost dark.” Anaia pointed out.

“It doesn’t matter.”

* * *

“I’m hungry,” Koe didn’t bother moving from her bed.

“Nice to hear,” Olakino regretted letting making a makeshift cot for her in the medical alcove. He didn’t want to admit that he felt slightly… _guilty_ …so Koe was now kept nearby for soothing kelp and seaweed wraps. This didn’t mean Olakino was her butler, though.

“I request shark meat,” Koe continued.

Olakino’s stomach rumbled at the mention of shark. “It’s breakfast; no meat ‘til supper, you know the rules.”

“I figured since you could decide to save my vision or leave me blind, you could bend the rules.” Koe said.

“Alright, you’re out. I’m disassembling your cot immediately,” Olakino snapped, “We already had this discussion.”

“Kicking me out won’t bring Trevor back.” Koe reminded him.

“ _WE’RE ON A BREAK!”_ Olakino yelled. He was thankful Koe couldn’t see how flushed he had become. Most of the time he kept his temper under control…as in he used sarcasm instead of shouting, but she was testing his patience. “OUT!” He roughly grabbed Koe’s arm and yanked her out of her cot. She unsuccessfully tried to pull out of his grip, but he was stronger and shoved her out of his alcove. “You’re blind, not stupid,” He growled, “Get food yourself. Get seaweed yourself. Get out of my _sight_.”

* * *

A couple of days passed since Huhū and Anaia visited the boat wreck, and Huhū had shut himself away while working on _something._ Trevor knocked on Huhū’s alcove before entering with a handful of apples. “I don’t think you’ve eaten for a couple days,” Trevor said gently as Huhū wrapped his sore hands, “I’ve brought apples.”

Huhū shrugged him off. “Shouldn’t we be rationing food anyway?”

“Rationing doesn’t mean starving,” Trevor reasoned.

“You sure about that?” Huhū frowned as he sanded his project. Trevor wasn’t completely sure what he was building but it looked like some sort of chariot.

“Just eat,” Trevor crossed his arms, “I’m not leaving until you eat something.”

“Shouldn’t you be making up with Olakino?” Huhū rolled his eyes. “I’m not your boyfriend, go smother someone else.”

“You’re in a tizzy.” Trevor chucked an apple at the sulking adult and it hit him square in the forehead. “Sorry for caring.” This time Huhū ducked and the other apple smashed into the rocks behind.

Huhū clucked his tongue. “Wasteful.”

“ _Ratbag_.” But Trevor gave up and left. He should go do the daily animal chores or rouse Ikehu for hunting, but he went back to his alcove and laid down instead. It seemed that he was missing a certain someone but refused to apologize for what he deemed morally right.

* * *

Tiana snuck into Keiki’s alcove in the early light of day. She shook her awake. “I wanna play a game.” She whined.

“I don’t play games with babies,” Keiki turned away, grumpy that her sleep was interrupted. “I’m quartermaster now.”

“What’s that?” Tiana’s lower lip quivered. “Why won’t you play with me?”

“It means I’m important and don’t have time to play silly games.” Keiki still hadn’t let Tiana’s past remarks go. If she was honest with herself, she would rather spend the day playing “silly games” with Tiana than spending time shadowing Kanikau, but she couldn’t seem childish. If she was really quartermaster now, she had to act mature. She was fourteen after all, practically an adult.

“You’re a bully!” Tiana balled her little fists and punched Keiki. Since she was only five, Keiki wasn’t too concerned.

“You’re a nuisance.”

“I don’t even know what that means!”

Keiki was now sitting up, well, leaning against the wall in a sitting position. She caught Tiana’s flailing hands and roughly shoved her to the floor causing her to cry. “Go away, cry baby.”

“Yo-you hu-hurt me!” Tiana said between sobs. Both her elbows were scraped up and bleeding. She scrambled up and sped out to probably complain to Trevor or Huhū.

Keiki stayed where she sat, not like she had a giant choice in that matter. She really hadn’t meant to _hurt_ Tiana; she didn’t think she even pushed her that hard. She certainly never wanted to make Tiana cry, and she guiltily hoped Tiana didn’t tattle. Tiana crying to Kanikau crossed her mind. Would she get reprimanded for lashing out at Tiana or…would Kanikau see this as an assertiveness of new dominance? And which one would Keiki rather happen?

* * *

Mangō was the perfect addition to the Abyssi for Huhū’s new craft. The Mako shark allowed Huhū to hook her up to a crude open carriage, the perfect size for a teenager. With a couple of small adjustments, allowing room for Mangō’s tail to flip, he was ready to present it to Keiki. He found her sitting with Kanikau sorting out the animal’s food for the day. Before he could unveil his creation, Kanikau analyzed his face with an intense glare. “You look awful,” She said.

“Thanks,” Huhū huffed. He wasn’t here for her, he didn’t care. “Keiki, I built a…a sort of wheelchair.” He called Mangō forward to show the women. “Mangō can pull you around so you won’t have to spend so much energy on…swimming.”

“Oh, that’s helpful, I guess.” Keiki feigned excitement. “Have you been sleeping well recently?”

“I thought you’d be excited.” Huhū whined. “I’ve been working all week.”

“It’s great,” Keiki said, “but you look like you’re about to faint. I didn’t ask for you to work yourself to death.”

“I’m fine, I did this for you, Gina…I mean, Keiki.” Huhū corrected himself quickly. “Whatever…do what you want with it.”

As Huhū left, Kanikau boosted Keiki into the seat of the chariot. She picked up the reins and Mangō enthusiastically darted forward almost unseating Keiki. “You’ll have to work on that.” Kanikau said, watching her apprentice with interest. “Do you think this will help you?”

“Maybe after practice.” Keiki wished for a seatbelt until Mangō understood she couldn’t dart back and forth whenever. “It’s a start.”

“Tiana can’t keep up with you anymore, huh?” Kanikau raised an eyebrow.

“So, you heard about our arguments?” Keiki sighed.

“It’s not an argument if you’re talking to a five-year-old,” Kanikau said, “Plus, we’re in charge; we’re always right. Our words are law. Well, not yours yet, but no one will want to be ‘arguing’ with you soon.”

Keiki didn’t agree with her first point as no matter the age, shouldn’t everyone have a voice? But like Kanikau said, her word was law and Keiki was not about to contradict it. “You argue with Trevor a lot. And Olakino too.” She instead pointed out.

“And guess what? Now, they’re at odds with each other and not me,” Kanikau grinned. “It pays to be on top.”

_But what was the price?_


	18. WHERE BABIES COME FROM

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Olakino's white lie comes back to bite him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- alcoholism -
> 
> TERMS  
> Carmina Abyssi | songs of the deep  
> Anima Rapientem | soul snatchers  
> lua wai | water cave  
> moku hau’oli | happy ship  
> māhū pō | night vision  
> ʻenlelo maʻalahi | siren language  
> ʻakaʻaka | fuck  
> moe ʻino ʻoe iā ʻoe | damn you to hell  
> kāʻoki ʻia | dipshit  
> mele loea | song immortals  
> kēnā | siren  
> kahu | guardian  
> kauwa | servant  
> e hele i ka ʻoki! | go to hell serpent!  
> ʻala | bitch  
> he aha ke ano o kēia? | what the hell is this?  
> scum | scum  
> hele pela! | bug off!  
> pīhoihoi | dumbass  
> mawaena | between
> 
> NAMES  
> Kanikau | lament  
> Hilahila | confusion  
> Nani | beaut  
> Ōpala | garbage  
> Huhū | nervous  
> Paakiki | stubborn  
> Ikehu | energy  
> Bale | barley  
> Olakino | health  
> Nahesa | serpent  
> Piha | parrot  
> Gula | gold  
> Keleawe | bronze  
> Koe | remain  
> Keiki | child  
> Leoū | roan  
> Polū | blue  
> Aukā | fleck  
> Ōmaʻomaʻo | green  
> Kekolu | third  
> Kawa | bitter  
> Ululā’au | forest  
> Lani | sky  
> Nalu | waves  
> Mahalo | acceptance  
> Mangō | shark

## KAHI E HĀNAU MAI AI NĀ PĒPĒ

### " WHERE BABIES COME FROM "

Ikehu poked at the small apple in front of her. She was supposed to be sharing it with Koe who sat in front of her, blind and silent. All of the weak brewed wine she had been consuming had ruined her appetite; it left her stomach churning in knots. She would have much preferred a much stronger alcohol, able to get her buzzed much more effectively. Ikehu bit a small amount off the apple and placed it in Koe’s hand. “Here’s your share,” She disguised a hiccup with a cough.

Koe felt the round apple with only a small amount eaten. “Do you pity me that much?”

“I don’t have feelings at the moment,” Ikehu said softly, “nor do I have hunger.”

“I can smell the booze on your breath,” Koe hissed, “I know your habits, this is exactly why we broke up.”

“It’s only gotten worse,” Ikehu forced a watery smile even though she knew it was lost on her ex, “But I’m handling everything.”

“When will you stop lying to yourself, Ikehu?” Koe ate half the apple in one bite. It really was a puny apple.

“I’ve lied so much I’ve convinced it’s true,” Ikehu noticed a stray hair floating in front of the siren’s face and it took all of her willpower not to tuck it behind her finned ear. “But really Koe, I am fine.” She assured. That was a lie too. “I’m finding what my purpose is down here. It’s just taking a little bit to find it.”

“We have no purpose down here,” Koe frowned, “The ocean isn’t meant for sirens; it is unkind.” She gestured to her facial scarring.

“Maybe not purpose then,” Ikehu thought, “Maybe instead a reason for living.”

“And getting drunk is a valid reason?”

“Until I find another,” Ikehu rose feeling Nessie pulling her towards her in her mind, “Nessie wants a word, you’ll have to excuse me.” Another snap and the rest of the apple was eaten. No farewells were exchanged. Nessie was waiting out of view from the main clump of alcoves. “You didn’t tell me what you wanted,” Ikehu said to her dragon who knew Nessie was fully capable of telepathically discussing plans.

**It’s a surprise I think you’ll enjoy,** the dragon cryptically said, **hold onto my back. We’re going** ** _mawaena_** **but we can safely get there if I concentrate without you. I’ve been exploring.**

“We’re not going to the Loch?” Ikehu was slightly disappointed. The Loch Ness was a place they frequented quite often, usually to get away from the heated siren politics. While they tried their best to stay out of sight, Ikehu sometimes didn’t have much time to warn Nessie to dive deep underwater. Nessie could swim around fine with her echolocation but echoing sounds don’t say if eyes are prying or not.

**Not today,** Nessie cheerfully said, **I’ve found friends.**

* * *

Mahalo and Piha wrangled Mangō out of her pen shared with the hippocampi. They made a deal with Keiki and Kanikau so they could borrow the shark for their scouting patrol if they traded their meat ration for only fruits. Mahalo had quickly taken Kanikau up on her offer at Piha’s dismay. “Mangō isn’t going to cut that much time off our patrol,” He argued. “We need protein to keep our strength up.”

“I don’t know,” Mahalo shrugged, “I think it’s better to agree with the captain, especially since she’s so…neurotic.”

“That’s a reason not to,” Piha sighed, “Siding with Kanikau can be dangerous. You could lose your eyesight.”

“You exaggerate,” Mahalo waved a hand dismissively, “It’s better to get on her good side now, right?”

“As if there’s a good side,” Piha muttered. He patted Mangō about to tell the shark it was time to leave but living proof of Kanikau’s decision-making clumsily joined them. “Koe? What are you doing here?”

Koe was toting a sword. “I’m patrolling with you obviously.”

“Are you sure?” Piha stifled his surprise. “This doesn’t seem…safe.”

“I can patrol just as good as you,” Koe snapped, “And I can demonstrate how good I can,” She raised the sword, “if you want.”

“You know what,” Piha gently pushed the tip of the sword away from him, “You’ve convinced me.”

* * *

“People can live without their eyes, Trev…or,” Olakino had to consciousness add the last syllable on his boyfriend’s (hiatus boyfriend? kind of ex-boyfriend?) name. “Of course, it’s not ideal, and I would have preferred to keep Koe’s vision but what happens when something more serious occurs? I can _assure_ you that facial tears like hers aren’t nearly as bad as some of the injuries I’ve dealt with.”

“Oh, are you an expert in trauma now?” Trevor retorted. “I was in the _fucking_ navy.” Olakino was slightly taken aback; it wasn’t an everyday occurrence that Trevor swore. “At first I thought the siren’s curse didn’t completely work on me since I could remember the majority of my time in the above-world, but that was foolish. The curse worked just as intended; every night I go to sleep, I relive my old life. I don’t think you had to deal with too many cannonball injuries in _medical school_ , though I guess even if you studied anywhere near a sea at war, there wouldn’t be much to do with a person blown into pieces, would there?”

“There!” Olakino threw up his hands. “You’ve proved my point. Think about this carefully without any emotion. Think about who we are actually dealing with. Do you think Kanikau is going to spend the rest of her days living here beside a nice and bright coral reef? Do you think currents and boulders are going to be the only threats she causes us to face? My god man, there’ll be war down here, maybe not this year, maybe not the next, maybe not even in twenty years! But, there’ll be a time when more difficult choices will have to be made. Koe’s sacrifice, however unwilling, may have inadvertently saved another from an even unluckier fate.”

The two glared at each other with their arms crossed, even the water grew cold between them. It was now a battle of personal dignity; who would be the first to relent and break the stony silence? Surprisingly, it wasn’t the friendlier of the two. “Look,” Olakino suddenly looked his age with middle-aged wrinkles and shadows accentuated on his face, “I am not proud of my decision. If Kanikau wasn’t present, I would have definitely used the vial to secure Koe’s health. I made a rash, unethical, and _possibly_ incorrect choice, but I, and everyone else, has to now deal with it. I’m really sorry, Trevor,” His voice slightly shook, “I truly am.”

“While I shouldn’t really be the person you’re apologizing to,” Trevor’s mouth twitched, “I accept your apology. But you should probably tell this to Koe.”

“No,” Olakino shook his head, “I don’t apologize to anyone down here.”

“So what was that you just told me?” Trevor had a hint of a teasing tone.

“ _Nothing,_ ” Olakino grit his teeth, “You’ve proven to be quite an annoying exception to be honest.”

“Can this exception stay a little longer? I’m afraid it’s getting to be nighttime.” Trevor’s heart jumped to his throat at his suggestion.

“If you must,” But the annoyance from Olakino’s voice had completely faded by now.

* * *

Koe was the first to hear laughter on the scouting patrol; maybe her hearing was starting to make up for her lack of sight. Mahalo had to duck from Koe’s wild swings with her sword. “Watch it!” He grunted.

“I _can’t_ , that’s the point of the sword,” Koe figured out where Mahalo was hiding and poked him with a sharpened fingernail. “Don’t you hear that?”

“I hear voices,” Piha shushed the two, “They must be further out in the ocean since I can’t see any figures nearby.” It turned out that Koe wasn’t going crazy; a mile out into the open waters, the patrol came across two brother sirens; one tall and jovial, one short and angry.

“Hey-o!” The taller of the two waved a hand high above his head as they spotted each other. “Look, Makua, I told you we’d run into someone eventually.”

“I wanted to run into shore not others,” The shorter siren, Makua, frowned as his brother offered his hand for the Abyssi sirens to shake.

“Well, we can offer both of those things,” Piha said shaking his hand. “We live by a coral reef next to rocks, sand dunes, and alcoves.”

“I would still prefer just the shore,” Makua muttered but his brother grinned wildly.

“Best of both worlds,” He said, “I’m Muli-iho, and this is my younger brother, Makua.”

“ _I’m two years older than you_ ,” Makua pulled his brother back signaling the friendly greetings were finished. “Must you insist on speaking to any stranger we meet?”

“They’re not strangers anymore,” Muli-iho insisted, “now they’re friends, right? Though friends should know each other’s names, don’t you think?”

Koe and Piha shared a look, figuratively of course. These brothers sure were sirens. Makua was a typical one: quick to anger and distrustful. Muli-iho was a prime example of a much more hidden siren trait: manipulation. Offering names to secure a feign sense of trust to get more names and a place to stay in return was much more subtle tactic but was still effective. “Piha,” Piha said and introduced the other two.

“Pleasure,” Muli-iho bowed with much flourish, “you are much nicer than that other woman we met earlier, though she was much more attractive, no offense, of course. It’s just that she wasn’t bound by scar tissue or have a stone lodged in her neck. Very strange.”

“Oh, really?” Mahalo had never heard of such a thing. “What was she then?”

“We got rocks thrown instead of an answer,” Makua spoke up, “She wasn’t one for words.”

“We could show you where she is,” Muli-iho suggested with an impish grin. “Maybe we’ll get more out of her with five of us, one carrying a sword.”

“She’s no interest to us,” Piha said.

“You never know,” Mahalo shrugged, “It might be nice to bulk up our ranks.”

“I say we try to find her and then go home,” Koe added, “We found two new sirens at least. We can cut our patrol short.”

Muli-iho nodded and started guiding them east. “Right this way, ladies and gents.”

* * *

“Where are we?” Ikehu shook off the void of _mawaena_ and blinked in the warm light now surrounding them. They seemed to be in a large river surrounded by a sprawling city on either side of the banks. It was the most civilization Ikehu had seen since she was turned.

**If I am correct, you have already met a couple of people who live here,** Nessie said, **this is the heart of the Black Rock Weyrhold.**

“Oh,” Ikehu fought back a wave of nausea that come with traveling _mawaena._ To be truthful, she thought this surprise would be a tad more exciting. “These are the breeders of Keleawe and Gula.”

**Yes, though if you recall, they have more than fire-lizards.** Nessie reminded her.

“How do you know this?” Ikehu asked. “We travelled to the marketplace long before I met you.”

**I overheard Trevor and Huhū discussing the trip. They also mentioned another human by the name of Ackerley, but I have not been able to locate them yet. They could be further inland, or I haven’t searched in the proper direction yet. But I wanted to locate the Weyrhold particularly as they have the largest dragon population that I am aware of…and I think to be aware of most dragon related things.**

“More dragons…” Ikehu shielded her eyes from the sun and looked to the sky in intervals broken up by dipping underwater. “This is interesting. They don’t have any sea dragons?”

**Unfortunately not,** Ikehu could tell by her tone she was disappointed in not coming across her own kind, **these are land-based dragons, or perhaps air-based dragons because they are capable of flight.**

Ikehu now did recall seeing a younger lady hopping off of a green dragon so long ago. She giggled remembering how Trevor tried to bargain for one of them but only receiving fire-lizard eggs in return. Now it was all coming back to her, and she felt the most sober she’d been in a while. This is also where all her wine was coming from, though a middleman was involved for the transport. “So you knew these flying dragons were here?”

**This particular species is the Pernese Dragon,** Nessie explained, **and yes, I could sense traces of dragons far off in this direction. One day I followed it and ended up here. I’ve talked to a few of the lower ranking ones when they notice me.**

“Even though you aren’t Pernese, you can communicate?” Ikehu asked.

**They’re quite witty,** Nessie said, **pleasant to converse with. The fire-lizards here, however, are quite dull. Only really communicate by expressing emotions. I suspect our more engaging environment back home allowed Gula and Keleawe a better development, thus allowing them speech.**

“Oh!” Ikehu’s hand shot out of the water and pointed at a distant flying shape. “I think I spotted one!”

 **I figured it might be fun for you to watch some different kinds of dragons for a little while,** Nessie sank lower in the water to a colder current. She preferred icy temperatures. **I doubt we’ll speak to anyone today; they seem busy with regular patrols. But perhaps one day, we can meet one face-to-face.** Ikehu nodded vigorously. Every child imagined flying one way or another and the wish was still buried deep in every adult; no one was immune to insane rushes of adrenaline. Even though Ikehu was cursed to remain in the water for the remainder of her days, she could take in the sights of flying creatures and imagine the sensation.

* * *

The scouts knew they had arrived at the strange woman’s location when a rock hit Mahalo’s chest. Hearing him grunt in pain, Koe swung her sword. Luckily Piha already was missing his left hand as the blade passed where his wrist would have been. “You brought more of your friends, you spineless cowards!” Even at a shriek, the woman’s voice was silky smooth, very enjoyable to listen to actually.

“They’re not friends of ours, don’t get that idea in your head,” Makua huffed and dodged another rock.

“See, look!” Muli-iho hissed quietly so the woman couldn’t hear. “She has gems and scales. Very flashy.” He was correct; it seemed beautiful stones were jutting out of her shoulders and arms.

“We’re just sirens patrolling our territory,” Piha said, hoping to ease the amount of rocks being thrown.

“ _Sirens?_ ” She swam out from the darkness, “You beasts aren’t sirens. _I’m_ a siren.”

Muli-iho whistled, “Oh boy!” He chuckled, “An actual siren! I never thought we’d ever meet one of these, Makua.”

“She’s not one of us,” Piha whispered confused.

“No, she’s an actual siren, naturally born,” Muli-iho explained, “She’s not ‘cursed’ like the rest of us are.”

“I’d prefer it if you’d stop muttering about me,” The _whole_ siren crossed her arms, “Did you happen upon three divers and turn them into beasts in the past hour?”

“Of course not,” Makua caught one of the rocks and chucked one back at her. It hit her in the shoulder. “They’re reinforcements for getting you to stop hurling projectiles at passerbys.”

“You could come with us,” Mahalo offered trying to keep the peace. “Natural born siren or not, you’d be able to live with us.” He turned to Koe and Piha to speak under his breath, “Won’t Kanikau be pleased to examine this other form of siren?”

“Why do you care about what Kanikau thinks?” Koe frowned.

“Isn’t it best to keep the one in charge happy?” Mahalo asked. “It’s a survival method.”

“Trust me,” Koe grabbed his hand and lifted it to her facial scars, “there’s no survival method with Kanikau.”

* * *

Keiki snapped the reins of her chariot after Piha’s patrol returned; she didn’t want to bother with the newcomers staring at her. She and Mangō were both getting accustomed to the strange contraption Huhū had built. She felt a bit guilty for snapping at Huhū the last time they talked as she knew he only did this with good intentions, but deep down, she also felt something…off. She didn’t know Huhū before Paakiki’s death, but the newest frown lines of Kanikau’s face told her that the captain was becoming slightly concerned for her tentative friend as well. Anaia had taken him on a day-long trip last year and after they returned, he didn’t seem like the same easy-going Huhū from before. Now Keiki frowned and turned Mangō towards the reef and sandy beaches. She knew she could talk with Nalu telepathically, but it was still just so weird to be having a conversation underwater with someone flying in the clouds. She also knew that Nalu would have zero applicable suggestions for dealing with a spiraling Huhū but talking about feelings with Kanikau or Tiana wasn’t an option. Tiana was a tiny child and Keiki was pretty sure Kanikau fell into the sociopathic spectrum somewhere. And she didn’t feel close enough to anyone else to talk about Huhū.

_Nalu_ , she called out in her mind as they arrived at the beach where the fire-lizards slept, _do you have time to talk?_

**_I’m far away at the moment,_** Nalu responded. She even sounded a little more distant in her mind. **_Anything urgent can still be discussed. I’m listening._**

_That’s fine,_ Keiki huffed, hoping Nalu could sense her teenage angst, _I didn’t know you’d be off on your own little adventure. Otherwise I wouldn’t have bothered._

**_A few of us are conversing, well, sort of, with other fire-lizards,_** Nalu said gently, **_they don’t use words…so it’s interesting. I can return…_**

_Whatever,_ Keiki cut her off, _continue having your play-date._ She grabbed Mangō’s reins once more and snapped them a little more aggressively than Mangō liked. The mako shark shook the chariot with her tail and about unseated Keiki. She didn’t want to talk about her feelings anyway she decided. It was for the best. Compartmentalize and continue. Keiki repeated the phrase she heard Kanikau mutter, most of the time in her sleep. It should become the Abyssi’s motto honestly. _Compartmentalize and continue, compartmentalize and continue, compartmentalize and…_ a warbling sound interrupted her self-therapy. She quieted Mangō and they slowly drifted listening closely. A flash of pink hair told her Trevor was here too among the coral and apparently was singing. It wasn’t a proper siren song as it sounded god-awful and Keiki couldn’t imagine anyone being drawn towards his melody.

“A boy to me was bound apprenticed

Because his parents, they were poor.

So, I took him from Saint James’ Workhouse

For to sail on the Greenland shore.

One day this poor boy, he did annoy me.

Nothing to him did I say,

But I rushed him to my frozen yard-arm

And I kept him there ‘til the very next day.

When his arms and his legs did bow down low,

And his hands and feet likewise,

And with a tarry gasket I killed him

For I would not hear his cries.

Now all you sea captains who go out a-navying,

Take fair advantage by me

And don’t abuse your young apprentice boy

Or it’s hanged you sure will be.”

Keiki felt goosebumps flood her entire body. “That’s not a very nice song,” She whispered.

Trevor jumped and gave a regretful smile. “Sorry, lass, just a tune from my navy days.”

“Did you have to hang your naval captain?”

Trevor chuckled, “Not ours, no.” He cracked his knuckles. “It was based on a true story, though. Just nobody we knew personally.”

Keiki processed this information as Trevor pat Mangō. “That happened?”

“Oh, it’s an old folk song,” Trevor waved a hand, “I’m sure it’s embellished, but…it wouldn’t be unheard of. And many captains were hanged for many different reasons, some including certain verses.”

“I’ve become the captain’s apprentice,” Keiki said glumly, “if you hadn’t noticed.”

“Kanikau wouldn’t do…” He trailed off after him and Keiki shared a look, “Well, we wouldn’t let her do anything like that to you.”

“Reassuring,” Keiki rolled her eyes, but it really was reassuring to hear. Though, at the moment, Kanikau seemed to enjoy having a young impressionable person hanging around her constantly. “Also,” She wanted to turn this conversation into something unmeaningful and basic, “You sound like a dying whale.”

“I’d prefer that than leading divers to their demise…or whatever limbo this is,” Trevor’s goofy smile returned, “I’ve never tried to properly sing, and I never will. I can sing more if you’d like…”

Keiki had already snapped Mangō’s reins again. “ _Definitely not!”_ But they both were laughing as the shark pulled her away. Maybe the motto should be compartmentalize, laugh, and continue instead.

* * *

“I spy with my little eye something…blue!” Tiana clapped her hands thinking there was no way Huhū was going to guess her object.

“Let’s see,” Huhū glanced around on their sand dune. The dunes shifted a bit every day with currents, but they were always pretty close to their alcoves. “Is it the water?”

Tiana’s face fell; it was obvious that was what she was “spying.” “Sorry, you can go again.”

“I don’t wanna play this game anymore.” Tiana crossed her arms and huffed. She had been getting moodier by the day.

“Oh, here’s Keiki coming,” Huhū pointed out the approaching quartermaster. “Maybe she’ll play with us.”

“I don’t want to play any of your baby games,” Keiki had heard his last suggestion.

“It would be good for Tiana,” Huhū quietly said.

“I don’t owe her or you anything,” Keiki said harshly, “You can quit acting like my dad.”

“I-I never meant to take your father’s place,” Huhū stammered.

‘Well, you sure as hell ain’t my brother!” Keiki rebutted. “You’re like FORTY YEARS OLD! I don’t need help from an old man.”

Huhū’s expression darkened as his eyebrows furrowed. “Don’t let Kanikau hear you say forty years is old,” His voice had dropped to a hushed monotone. “I don’t think she’ll appreciate that.”

Tiana glared at Keiki as Huhū left. “You ruined our game,” She grabbed a fistful of sand and threw it at her. The sand hit Mangō instead and the shark thrashed almost throwing Keiki to the dunes.

“Too bad, so sad,” Keiki gripped the sides of her chariot rebalancing herself. Her new contraption had given her an amount of freedom she hadn’t thought she’d ever regain after getting paralyzed, but a terrifying thought flittered through her mind. What would happen if she _was_ ever thrown from her cart and wasn’t by sand dunes to fall on? Would she continuously fall into the ocean’s abyss? It was an unnerving thought for sure.

* * *

Marisa staked out an alcove out of the main clump. She didn’t want to seem above these weird sub-species of siren, but she felt like she was. They looked, pardon, _horrifying_ , all riddled with scar tissue and jagged gills. _They must have one hell of a singing voice_ , she thought, _there’s no way any sailors would be lured by their appearance._ She rearranged an old pile of driftwood stacked in a crevasse towards the back. Underneath one of the larger pieces was a torn Stenson. Marisa inspected it before tossing it aside. It must have belonged to a former occupant, but that didn’t concern her now. Hearing more voices outside, she wandered out to the rock outcropping. The Mako shark that had sniffed her out earlier was now hitched to a cart toting a teenager around. _Interesting._ A sullen man with mint hair was sulking by the dwindling supply of food. A very happy pink-haired man was now holding hands with the siren she knew was Olakino. And a little green-skinned child trailed close behind trying to persuade anyone to a game of “I spy.” The green skin and gray hair combo jolted something in her memory. She swore she had seen the child before and was convinced that she was a missing child from Sitria. Marisa would know as she had participated in many patrols in a great effort to find said child that had gone missing after a storm. _What was her name?_ Marisa only remembered the description of the child, not the name; she was never one to hang around the nursery, especially the one on land.

“Go away, Tiana,” The teenager was busy undoing the shark’s harness and shoved the child away.

_Tiana,_ if Marisa’s memory was correct, this was the missing Sitria child, _daughter of Freya, Pike, and Kamryn._ “Tiana,” She tried to make her voice gentle. She wasn’t sure how to talk to children. “Tiana, do you remember me?”

This got the attention of the child who stared up at her with big eyes. Tiana shook her head. “I don’t remember anything before the Abyssi,” She paused, “well, I guess I remembered my name but that hardly counts.”

The bossy siren interrupted them. “That’s another trait of a _siren._ ”

“A _cursed siren,_ sure,” Marisa already didn’t like Kanikau. “Tiana, you came where I used to live,” She ignored the captain and tried to explain Tiana’s origin. “We used to live in a mostly underwater village, Sitria, together. You disappeared one day and I, along with your parents and many others, searched long and hard for you.” Marisa glanced at the other sirens listening in. The sulking siren had a certain guilty expression. Perhaps it was him who had cursed Tiana that fateful night.

“Parents? I don’t have parents.” Tiana surprised her with a statement. “I ate them.” A shocked silence fell over the group.

“E-excuse me?” Piha stammered, slice of orange now forgotten in his hand.

“That’s what Olakino said,” Now all the eyes were turned to the medic that was now trying to slide Trevor in front of him.

Trevor was not having any of that, however. “ _Why on earth did you tell Tiana she ate her parents?_ ”

“I-I don’t know,” Olakino said meekly. “She started asking me questions and I didn’t know how to answer them.”

“I think there may have been a better answer than that,” Trevor said, “Did she ask if she was a shark or something?” Mangō looked rather offended.

Olakino held up his hands in a surrender stance. “She asked if she had parents and how children are made. It’s not like her parents are going to waltz in here, so I said that every child eats their parents when they’re old enough.” Everyone seemed horrified. “Look, I don’t know! She didn’t bother me after that, so I wasn’t terribly concerned. It’s not like sirens are popping out kids; it should have never come up again.”

Trevor hissed something in his ear that looked suspiciously like _“What the fuck is wrong with you?”_

“So…I didn’t eat my parents?” Tiana tugged on Marisa’s hand.

“You did not.”

“Can I meet them?” Tiana’s eyes shined with excitement.

“Actually…” Marisa didn’t know how to talk to children. She _certainly_ didn’t know how to give a child really disappointing news. “I don’t know where they are anymore. That’s why I left; they were moving, and I didn’t want to follow.”

Tiana sniffed and swam slowly towards the alcoves. No one followed her. “How the hell was ‘ _you ate your parents’_ not the worst thing she’s heard this week?”

* * *

Winter was harsh and unforgiving for Carmina Abyssi; there were no more meat rations for dinner, patrols mainly looked for food, and a good day was classified as a day when everyone got a few bites to eat. Tempers were running short, well, shorter than normal, and certain sirens got into small scuffles. The issue became so pressing that Kanikau called an emergency meeting.

“Trevor,” She started off singling out the senior hunter, “What the hell, man? Where’s the food?”

“You know just as well as anyone else that there is no prey to be found.” Trevor was no longer his happy-go-lucky self. “I doubt another pod of sirens this size could survive unless they were nomadic and were constantly travelling. Our potential food knows to avoid us.”

“ _We_ never had problems finding food,” Marisa pointed out.

“ _You_ could go back to Sitria anytime, doll,” Trevor huffed, “The term _siren_ here is used to describe everyone else except you.”

“Take it easy, love,” Olakino murmured in Trevor’s ear and pulled him back, “It’s me who’s supposed to be annoyed, remember?”

“Huhū,” Kanikau spoke over the bickering two, “are you finding _anything?_ You’re hardly bringing back food from patrols.”

“I’m as thorough as possible,” Huhū had sunken bags underneath his eyes, “but it’s hard to comb the surface of the ocean alone.”

“Well, I’m not sending Piha on another gathering patrol,” Kanikau muttered, “This needs to change; we need food. Instead of continuing our winter patrol routes, we’ll just have to return to our summer routes.”

“But we’ll be out long after dark then,” Anaia piped up, “We’ll be freezing.”

“We can all ask our fire-lizards to fetch possible pelts that we can cover up with,” Kanikau said, “It’s either being a little cold or starving.”

“I, for one,” Mahalo put an agreeable finger up, “think this new plan will work.”

“Suck up,” Koe hissed in Piha’s ear and they both tittered.

“Alright,” Kanikau gave Mahalo a strange look. She wasn’t used to people agreeing with her. “Let’s go find some food then.”


End file.
